RUN
by J7339
Summary: Lucas has a whole different past that he has been trying so hard to hide all of this time. Someone is about to walk into his life and put his life back in danger and force him to relive some painful moments. REVISED AND NEW MATERIAL ADDED
1. A Chance Encounter

**RUN**

**By Jules**

**CHAPTER ONE - A CHANCE ENCOUNTER**

**Author's Note: Thank you for all those people out there that let me know you still read my stories. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your support – especially with the short piece _HIGH STAKES. _Wanted to do another chapter – but can't come up with an idea yet.**

**This idea – came to me in about 5 minutes. I have had this scene in my head about the shopping centre for ages. I was even going to include it in BREATHE and have Murray make a come back there – but didn't and the idea is still hanging around.**

**Was thinking about it today and wondering – okay – he is supposed to be running – WHY is he running – and then the idea just seemed to write itself. Unfortunately my fingers are not as fast as my brain.**

**_and_****_ now ……… the beginning_**

Lucas was looking in the mirror of his small bathroom, taking in the young man that was staring back at him. Lucas Wolenczak was the name he gave to everyone. Hidden deep under the surface however, was someone else.

He knew he would never be able to reveal his true identity though. Not if he wanted to protect the ones he cared about, like the members of the crew, including the man that had adopted him and called him _'son'_, Captain Bridger.

"What are you doing in there, Lucas?" came the call from Ben Krieg.

"Coming!" Lucas shouted back in response. As he exited the door, he took a fleeting glance back at the mirror. _No, I can never tell them _he repeated.

"Well, it's about time, Cinderella," Krieg said sarcastically as he looked at his watch and noted the time.

The rest of the crew had been waiting outside the SeaQuest for ten minutes now. In the blazing heat, everyone's nerves were a little on edge and becoming easily frustrated.

"Shut Up, Krieg," Lucas threw back. "I can't help it if I am the last out of the showers."

"Yeah, but you were the first or second on in there," a casually dressed Ford commented.

"What can I say, this look takes time," the teenager said and flashed a smile. He saw the crew eyeing his shirt that was two times too big that was worn over an equally too big t-shirt. His jeans were loose and the legs folded up at the bottom, either a fashion statement of the times, or they were too long.

The partially worn sneakers finished off the ensemble. His blond hair was a touch on the long side and occasionally would fall over his forehead, much to the annoyance of Kristin Westphalen. She was forever suggesting he get a haircut, but that had not taken place as yet.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't keep up with the trends," Bridger said as he joked at the teenager's somewhat twisted sense of good taste. He tried to think back when he was a teenager, but knew that he still hadn't dressed like Lucas was now.

"Why do we have to go anyway?" Krieg whined ten minutes into their journey.

There was only the five of them on this excursion. Lucas and Ben. Bridger and Kristen, and then Commander Ford who came along out of necessity for the boat, not for a social reason.

"Because, I said you had to," Bridger said, looking back at the Lieutenant through the rear-view mirror. Besides, you are the Supply Officer aboard the boat and it is your job to inspect all of the equipment and goods that are brought on SeaQuest."

"Couldn't I have looked at them when you came back?" Krieg tried to negotiate. Shopping was not a favourite pastime of Ben's. At least not in the idea of actually going out to the large supermarket chain stores and buying goods off shelves. That was so manual and labour intensive.

When they were out to sea all he had to do was call up Murray and he could have anything he wanted. So much more practical when you didn't have to dress up for the occasion and could order the galley supplies laying down on your bed in your boxer shorts.

"No, Krieg," Ford said in frustration.

"If I have to come along on this little trip, then so do you. And Lucas. Might be a learning curb for the two of you, being away from your computer screens for more than an hour each day."

"Hey!" Lucas said in his own defence.

"I am the Chief Computer Analyst. I've got a legitimate excuse for being on my computer 22.75 hours a day. Leaves the other 1.25 for sleeping," he added, immediately realising his mistake and receiving a rather stern look from Westphalen at his admittance of how much sleep he missed each night. He was sure to be reminded of this little slip-up when they returned to the boat.

"Okay, we are here now, so let's get the stuff we need and we can all go home and everyone will be happy again," Bridger said, stepping in to be the peace-offerer.

Taking Bridger's words literally, Ben decided to make the trip fun. More for Lucas's sake than his own. The kid just didn't get out as much as he should. Your teenage years were for being out with your friends and partying until all hours of the night or until your father knocked down the door anyway.

Being aboard SeaQuest for 9 months of the year, Lucas didn't get the opportunities that may be afforded other young people his age. Today, Ben was determined to make Lucas laugh and have a good time.

Bridger was glad to have the Lieutenant tagging along, even if he had to persevere with the endless jokes and silly one-liners. Lucas was more relaxed around Ben and seemed to be having a good time. Lately there seemed to be a shadow over the boy and as yet, Lucas hadn't been very forthcoming with the reason for the withdrawal.

Much to Ford's disdain, the first shop they paused at while on their way to the larger chain store, sold novelty items for birthdays and nick-knacks. Ben's own heaven. He had taken a pair of Groucho Marx looking glasses from a stand and placed them on his face, giving his best voice impersonation and setting Lucas off into wails of laughter.

Bridger also seemed to get a kick out of the gag and laughed along with the pair. A few passer-by's, gave the group strange looks as they watched the performance. Ford and Westphalen tried unsuccessfully to act as though they were not part of the charade.

* * *

In a crowded shopping centre the size of a city block, the last thing anyone suspected was to be recognized. Especially Lucas, but as destiny or fate would have it, that is exactly what was about to happen.

The group had left the novelty shop and were headed down one of the less crowded corridors, Lucas on the outer edge, and a few steps ahead of the others. He had spotted a computer store upon looking at the various speciality shops and was trying to think of a plausible way to get out of going to the chain store and going off on his own tangent to look at the latest gadgets technology had to offer.

"Lucas!" a voice shouted in surprise from somewhere nearby. The teenager snapped his head up just in time to see someone coming towards him that he had hoped he would avoid for the rest of his life.

It was a young woman, probably late twenties, pleasant looking and seemingly only interested in approaching Lucas for the moment. Lucas on the other hand, had other ideas and was quickly trying to find an escape route to avoid her.

"No way, Diana, leave me the hell alone," Lucas said sharply and turned abruptly to begin heading in the direction they had just came from.

"Oh come on, Lucas, it's me. Don't tell me you haven't thought about me once this whole time," she accused him, grabbing a hold of his shirt sleeve and trying to halt his progress.

"I know, that's why I said no," Lucas shot back, jerking his arm violently to avoid any sort of contact with the attractive woman. The woman wasn't to be deterred however and continued to followed him in the chance of them striking some sort of common ground.

"Okay, have it your way, I won't tell you," Lucas said sarcastically.

"But I didn't," he remarked. The young woman's immediate reaction was a stinging slap to his face in front of shocked onlookers and an even more shocked Bridger and crew.

"I am sorry," Diana said as she held back tears at what she had just done. He definitely didn't deserve that. She headed down the corridor as if they had never met at all.

Lucas stood and watched her leave for a minute, rubbing aimlessly at the reddened mark on his face. He looked back to see the questioning looks from his family and friends.

"Do you want to tell me about her, Lucas?" Ben joked trying to clear the tension in the air.

"No, I don't Krieg, so just drop it okay," Lucas said, a little more harshly to Ben than he really intended.

"Lucas who was that woman and why did she hit you?" Kristin asked, walking over to him a little closer, trying to see if there was any injury. Lucas wasn't exactly a willing participant and didn't let her get a good look at his face. She assumed that it was his pride that was stinging more than his face.

"Someone you would rather not know, and she hit me because she is pissed at me," Lucas offered, deliberately walking away from the probing conversation. He really didn't want to talk to them about what had just happened.

Kristin was about to tear strips of him for his use of foul language, but given the circumstances, could see that something was bothering him about the mysterious encounter. She let it slid for the moment, mentally reminding herself to take him to task for it later.

For the next half an hour, the conversation between the group all but dried up entirely. Nobody was wanting to set the teenager off again, who now appeared sullen and angry at something. They chose to sit at a cafeteria and have a cup of coffee.

No sooner had they sat down and ordered, then Lucas spotted the woman known as Diana, standing a few hundred metres away, but directing her attention at the teenager. The crew looked to Lucas to see what he intended to do.

At first, he tried his best to ignore her gestures for him to come and talk to her. When it became obvious that she wasn't going to be persuaded otherwise, he got up from his chair and walked towards her.

Bridger and Westphalen were not entirely happy about this situation at all, but Lucas was 18 now and adult enough to choose who he spoke to and who he didn't. There was obviously some past recognition between the two, whether Lucas was willing to admit it or not.

From where they were seated, they couldn't hear any conversations that may take place between them, but they could certainly make sure that things didn't get out of hand as they had a little earlier when Lucas was slapped.

When Lucas first approached the young woman, his waved his arms animatedly in front of her as if to show how ticked off he was at her showing up at this stage in his life. The young woman was equally as animated, though she was a little shorter than Lucas, poking a finger into his chest to indicate her response.

Just when it appeared that all of the angry and heated words had been exchanged and Lucas was ready to walk away from the woman a second time, the woman burst into tears. Lucas stopped walking away and then proceeded to wrap his arms around her in an embrace and comfort her and offer an apology.

"Way to go Lucas," Ben said in excitement for his friend. "She gets over being angry at him real quick," he added with a smile.

Ford gave him a stare of disapproval and looked as confused and concerned as Bridger and Westphalen were about who this woman was and how Lucas came to know her. From the looks of things, they were a lot closer than everyone first thought.

Lucas and Diana pulled apart from each other and began a much more civilised conversation, even to the point of taking up a seat at a table in front of a neighbouring café to his friends. The two seemed deep in conversation when Lucas's attention was drawn away from the girl to someone else in the crowded supermarket.

Diana turned around with fear on her face as she heard Lucas say something to identify who he had seen. In a moment of seconds, they were both now standing in front of the table, wondering what the next rational thing to do was.

Bridger spotted a large black man, standing quite a distance in front of Lucas and the young woman. He seemed interested in Lucas and the woman, whispering something to two large set men who stood either side of them. All had long trench coats on and dark glasses, hands in their pockets as though concealing weapons.

"Lucas, RUN!" Diana shouted, and the pair split from each other, running in different direction, trying to confuse the men that sought them.

Diana ran back towards Ben and the others, and upon spotting them as being with Lucas before, cried out to them to help. Lucas had run in the opposite direction, with the three men now definitely concentrating their efforts on catching him rather than her.

"You gotta help him," the young woman screamed, taking a hold of Ford's shirt for emphasis.

"If they catch Lucas, they will kill him..."

to be continued …………………….

JULES


	2. Truth and Lies

RUN

By Jules

**CHAPTER TWO - TRUTH AND LIES**

Some answers to the reviewers out there.

**_Snooboostoo_**_ – You will certainly have to tell me where your pen name came from but__ thanks for the kind review – hopefully you won't be disappointed._

**_AshleyAHinton_**_ – Thank you for your review. Lots more twists to this story to come than I originally planned, but that should increase the tension of the story a little__._

**_Sara – _**_In answer to your question – it will be answered in the next chapter or two – but sort of not the answer that everyone is probably hoping for – you will have to patient as the story unfolds what happens to the relationship between Bridger and__ Lucas and the rest of the crew. I always love your reviews and that you do it__ often for me – please say you will continue._

**_Simon – _**_Yes, I believe that the mighty Captain of the flagship was really a lot more down to earth and would do something like their own shopping. When we first__ see SeaQuest open we see him being totally self-sufficient on a virtually uninhabited__ island, so I think the idea works. If not, well then it's just how I interpret__ the Bridger character for my stories. Might not necessarily suit everyone's taste. _

_As for being rushed – yes in a sense and that was deliberate as__ was the huge chunks of information missing. The first chapter is supposed to drag you in quickly, leaving you with millions of questions about why certain things are happening. Everything will be explained, but at a specific point for__ each in the storyline. As to why Lucas didn't just run behind the Bridger –well__ then I wouldn't have to write the story at all if he did that. If he doesn't run away from them, the baddies can't chase him – sort of kills the drama but I hope you will continue to read and review. I like that your honest in your statements and opinions._

**_Aquarius – _**_I like your penname – my sister's star sign. Thanks for the vote of confidence and I will update as often as I can. This story just got a whole lot more__ complicated and longer in my head so here's hoping you will still read it._

**_jewels03 – _**_WOW!! – Recognized by my style of writing – what a compliment. I am certainly blushing at such a comment but loved every word of it. I hope the__ story exceeds your expectations now._

**_Ihni_****_ – _**_Always reviewing my stories – and I love it – Add lots of violence you say__ hmmmmm – maybe some – I have added a few extra parts that should satisfy__ your desires, but this story sees Lucas being able to take care of himself a__ little more than I usually write in other stories. All to be revealed._

**_Kas_****_ – _**_Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me you like the story. I can't tell you how much reviews motivate me to write. Watch out for the ending of this chapter__ – it should have you sufficiently tied in knots. _

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed – I really appreciate your efforts and thrive on__ the comments and compliments and suggestions. Please, from the bottom of__ my heart, say you will all continue to read and review._

**_now_****_ on with the next chapter:_**

The only way to describe the next few minutes within the shopping centre was _chaos__. _And plenty of it to go around.

The drama was quickly unfolding before they eyes, with people running in all directions it seemed. The woman who had just tried to get Bridger and Ford to help, started trying to run after Lucas herself.

Bridger couldn't even see Lucas at the moment. He tried to go down one or two of the corridors, shouting at the other crew members to split up and each try a different one.

They could hear police sirens approaching from outside the shopping centre complex, a quite a large number. But the crew tried to focus their efforts on finding Lucas.

Lucas had sprinted down the corridor as Diana shouted at him, but now he ducked inside an unlocked cleaners cupboard, watching the three men chasing him, run past.

He was slightly out of breath, both from the running, and the fear beginning to grow within him that things had started happening all over again. This is exactly what happened last time. He was comfortable, or so he thought, and then the chaos and madness ensued.

Lucas tried to open the door just a crack to see if his pursuers where anywhere close. He reclosed the door in haste when he heard heavy footsteps come back past the cleaner's door. He could hear the loud cursing from the men at them loosing his trail. He knew he couldn't let them catch him, or he wouldn't be leaving the shopping centre alive.

The leader of the men chasing Lucas was one Johnny Dalton. A mean man who had grown up hard and was harder now still because of the way society had moulded him.

Dalton was a heavy player in the underground world. Dealing with everything from money laundering, drugs, fake identification cards to prostitution and gambling. If it was illegal, Lucas could count on Dalton having a major hand in the pie.

The two other men Lucas hadn't seen up until now, but knew they most likely were only cronies on the payroll. Hired for a length of time, and only interested in lining their own pockets as much as possible before they were passed their usefulness. Long term employment was not an option when you worked for Johnny Dalton.

Jake, the man to Dalton's left, was getting frustrated that he was being asked to spend him time finding some damn kid. He vented that anger by picking up one of the trash receptacles and throwing it viciously against the wall.

It had landed only two to three metres away from the cleaners door where Lucas was hiding. The metallic crash sound echoing through the small room and hurting his ears.

Lucas swallowed hard as he tried to figure on how to escape without being seen. He definitely couldn't go out the front way. But there was no rear exit or side door that he noticed. There was a vast array of brooms and mops and a few buckets, but little else.

"Rip this place apart to find him," Dalton shouted. "I don't care how you find him. I want him, and I want him alive."

"We will find him boss, you see," Leroy, the second man tried to reassure his employer. He and Jake hadn't been informed on the past encounters between the kid and Dalton, but they thought he was getting too worked up over nothing.

They had better sense than to try and reason with him though and started searching all of the stores and any doorway that they could see.

Jake started walking towards a door that was marked **_"Cleaners"_**, expecting to find it locked.

Lucas panicked, trying to think of what to do. The door had no internal lock that the teenager could use to keep his hiding place concealed. If he didn't hurry, they were going to find him.

He looked at the mops and other equipment, knowing he had little time to think of a way out. He picked up a bucket and grabbed a handful of bottles of detergents and started pouring them together.

Jake put his hand on the door knob, and was surprised to find it unlocked.

"I am just going to look in here," he shouted back to his companions, looking over his shoulder. It wasn't until he felt the wetness and found himself staring back at the kid they were looking for that he realised what had happened.

Then all at once the stinging sensation hit his eyes from the mixture of detergent and chemicals that Lucas had tossed over him.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH," the man screamed, stumbling backwards and rubbing his eyes insistently with his hands, trying to stop the pain. His face was now covered in soap suds and reddened from the rubbing action.

Leroy ran over immediately, trying to see what had happened. He could hear Jake screaming and rubbing at his eyes, but he didn't know why. As he approached, he was jabbed harshly in the stomach with the blunt end of a mop.

Lucas rammed the handle into the man's stomach as hard as he could, hoping to give himself as much time as possible to escape. The floor was now slick with detergent and soap suds and the teenager found himself having difficult keeping his own balance in such conditions.

Fear got a better hold on him though as he saw a rampaging Dalton heading towards him, totally ignoring the painful screams of the other two men. Dalton reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pistol, fitted with silencer.

Lucas ran for all he was worth, back down the way he had come, hoping to find another branch of hallway to run into to avoid the gunman's pursuit.

Dalton angrily removed the silencer and aimed at the teenager, who was now some distance in front of him. A message in his head was reminding him that he couldn't shoot the kid dead in front of all these witnesses.

He aimed the gun all the same. All he had to do was nick him so they could take him from there without protesting. Then he could inflict a more painful death at a more private location.

The first gun shot was well wide of the teenager, as it slammed into a large concrete pillar in of the shopping complex, showering the floor with splinters and debris.

Upon hearing the gunfire, the police inside the building ordered all other people to lay face down on the floor to avoid any unnecessary casualties.

"That's my son out there," Bridger tried to argue with the officer in charge. He was having none of the orders to lay face down when Lucas's life was in danger. He would take the bullet himself if it came to a choice like that.

"I don't care who he is, Sir, get down on the floor, NOW!" the officer shouted back, his own apprehension of the incident making him on edge along with everyone else.

"He's only a seventeen year old kid. Those men are trying to kill him," Ben now yelled, trying to back up the Captain to make the police officer see sense.

"There are people on the way that are trained to handle these situations," the officer said, trying to keep Diana laying nearby from rising from the floor.

"Believe it or not I am trying to help him and you."

"If you try and get involved, you might get him killed quicker," the officer hissed, not knowing if that was really an accurate portrayal, but hoping it would allow for everyone to remain calm in a difficult situation.

There were many other officers stationed throughout the café area, waiting for his signal or command to move, but for now he held them all in place with a warning glance and hand gesture. Although he felt the need to protect the blond teenager, there were many other women and children amongst the crowd at this point in time.

Bridger and Krieg did seem to heed a little of what the officer said, not wanting to jeopardise any chance of helping Lucas. Before they could think anymore on that point, Lucas could be seen to run passed them on his way to the elevators and lifts.

* * *

"LUCAS," Bridger shouted, trying to get the boy's attention.

"Can't talk, gotta run," came the rushed reply as Lucas scooted past, breathing heavily, but his fear and self-preservation instinct driving him onwards.

Dalton and Leroy now came after the teenager, both brandishing pistols and aiming, ready to fire.

"Put the guns down," the officer beside Bridger ordered as he tried to confront the criminals. He knew that special backup units were on their way, but he knew he couldn't risk any of the other people being caught in cross-fire or used as potential hostages.

Leroy was the first to fire, pulling the trigger on his gun, the bullet hitting the officer in the upper left shoulder and causing him to fall down, giving an agonising gasp of pain.

Doing what little they could, Kristen and the girl called Diana, crawled over to the injured police officer and did what little they could without medical aid to give him comfort and reassurance. The wound was bleeding, but no profusely, the officer was no in imminent danger. The same couldn't be said for Lucas.

After running passed Bridger and Ben, Lucas was forced to dive on his hands and knees towards a glass barricade as bullets were fired above him. They were meant to scare him and slow him down enough for Leroy and Dalton to catch up to him without causing him a fatal injury.

The bullets so far had mercifully gone wide or astray, Dalton cursing Leroy as much as himself for their poor accuracy, even though their intended victim was moving.

Lucas was not so lucky with the next bullet however, as it ploughed into the glass barricade about a meter away, showering him with shards of broken glass. He closed his eyes against the shattering explosion and turned his face away, thankfully avoiding any serious injury.

The teenager had a number of small cuts and abrasions on his upper arms, in addition to some deeper ones on his hands as he used them to regain some momentum and escape into a run again.

Lucas ran into the safety of the lift, Leroy and Dalton still in pursuit. They were unable to stop the lift door from sealing or prevent it beginning to climb higher to the next floor.

Dalton walked back along the glass barricade, able to see into the transparent glass cage of the lift as it made its way up. Lucas was trying to conceal himself as much as possible against what little solid, covered wall existed.

Much to Lucas's relief and Bridger's, the bullet from Dalton's gun merely punched into the thick glass front of the elevator. It was made from a much thicker glass than the barricade and had not shattered on impact.

Lucas knew he couldn't rely on the safety of the lift for long though, and as soon as it reached the floor above, ran out of the door and towards the set of escalators that would take him back down to the level he had just come from.

"Hold it right there!" came a loud commanding voice from a nearby entrance to the complex.

Dalton and Leroy paused for a brief moment, knowing that their chance to capture Lucas had passed them by. Their main concern for now was to escape themselves without the complication and threat of being arrested. They turned and faced the officer in defiance, firing their pistols towards the officer, making him take precautionary measures to avoid being shot.

It now that Dalton, Leroy and a still very red faced Jake, ran away from the scene to an alternate exit and into a waiting car, away from of the complex.

Bridger and the rest of the crew were just beginning to get to their feet, along with the other people in the shopping centre. Many of the people were visibly upset, police trying to reassure them that the attack was random and that they were now safe.

Lucas had gingerly got to his feet and was slowly walking back up the escalator towards his family and friends. He was nursing his bleeding hand and still breathing heavily after so much running.

Kristin rushed over to him, using one of the table napkins to try and stop the bleeding from the gash across his left palm. Lucas looked at her, but couldn't find any words at the moment to say. He knew he had so much to explain to them about what they had just experienced and seen.

But he had to try and work it all out in his own mind first for it to make sense.

* * *

A few of the officers were talking to Bridger and Ben about exactly what had occurred in the few brief seconds before the three black men had arrived. They tried to give as accurate an account as possible, but couldn't identify any of the men, not tell them what possible motive their might have been for trying to kill Lucas.

One of the officers asked Bridger if he would consent to talking to Lucas. The Captain looked back over his shoulder at the teenager, who was watching Kristin's administrations to his hand in silence. The kid still looked a little shaken.

Diana now weighed into the conversation telling the officers what her name was and that she was a journalist. They didn't really seem to take an interest in what she had to say, still keen to talk with Lucas first.

Two officers, accompanied by Bridger and Ben, walked over to Lucas and stopped, ready to ask a few questions. Kristin told Bridger that the cut was mainly superficial. It hurt some, but wouldn't even need stitches. This time, the teenager had been lucky.

"You want to tell me what's going on, Lucas?" Bridger asked, sitting down as he spoke, keeping his voice calm and gentle.

Lucas looked at Bridger, almost with an apologetic expression. Obviously he knew what was going on, but he didn't really want to share it with the officers or anybody from SeaQuest. It was much safer that way. They couldn't become involved.

"You might as well tell them, Lucas," Diana said, seeing the hesitation that she had seen 5 years ago. She knew that there was little where else to run to right now.

"No!" Lucas said adamantly, shaking his head for emphasis. He wasn't getting his family and friends involved. They didn't deserve what he had been put through all these years. He knew the scenario all too well by now and loved them to much. He wanted to protect them as much as they wanted to shield him.

Bridger was a little surprised at the harshness of Lucas's reply. He didn't want to get the kid to talk unless he was ready. Maybe Lucas was still trying to deal with being shot at.

The police officer tried a little more subtly to understand what was going on and how these people fitted into the puzzle. He would start of simply and work his way up from there.

"Want to tell me your name kid?" the officer asked politely, already hearing the first name of Lucas used.

"Not really," came the short reply from Lucas. He almost laughed at the shocked looks on the faces of Bridger and Commander Ford at his outright refusal.

The officer was about to demand Lucas give his full and correct name and details when another voice addressed the group from the entrance to the complex.

"That won't be necessary officer, I will be taking over matters from here," said a short and very large man, dressed in a suit one size too small for him. In direct contrast, the other man beside him was very tall and lean, his clothes hanging from his gaunt frame.

"Here come Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee," Lucas said to Diana. The reporter already knew the identity of the two men and nodded her head in agreement at Lucas's candid description.

"Long time no see Harris, see you have been losing some weight," Diana spat sarcastically at the shorter man. Lucas laughed along with her, ignoring the glare they were receiving from the comment.

"You shut your yap, Lane, or I will have you arrested and hauled down to the station until somebody decides to post bail for you," the man declared hotly.

"On what charge?" Lane challenged.

Harris wasn't going to be put down in front of strangers by this hussy though.

"For you Diana, I would be willing to make a sacrifice and make something up, just for you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," the woman remarked. "I wouldn't want you going out of your way on my account."

"Cute!" Harris snarled, turning away from the annoying woman for the moment.

"Captain, may I introduce to you, Detective Harris, and his shadow Mr Arnold," Lucas said dryly, not meaning any endearing remarks.

"Your funny Lucas, you know that, I can arrange to have you put in a circus if you like. You could be quite an act," Harris said to taunt the kid.

"Is there somewhere more private we can go to discuss things?" Harris asked of one of the officers present.

"Only if they come with us," Lucas said, indicating Bridger, Kristin, Commander Ford and Ben. He wanted to make sure that he was dictating the conditions as much as possible in a situation that was out of his control.

"No," Harris started to object strongly.

"Then we don't talk," Lucas said defiantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Diana smiled at the kid's brashness, but kept silent to avoid aggravating an already tenuous meeting.

Bridger was about to step forward and demand to know what the hell was going on and who these people were, but the man's demeanour changed dramatically, almost as if he was ready to make an apology to Lucas.

The man raked a nervous hand through what was left of his hair and resigned himself to giving in a little to the teenager's request.

"Alright Lucas, you got a deal, but I just letting you know that I don't like it one bit," Harris in compromise.

"So long as we understand each other," Lucas responded.

One of the officer lead the relevant parties to a meeting room at the rear of the complex. Diana Lane had tagged along with Lucas and the SeaQuest crew as far as she could, hoping that she could slip in without being noticed. Harris however, recognized the woman's ploy and put a stop to her being a part of the meeting.

"No way, no how, Lane," Harris said, barging his way past her and blocking her passage into the room. "Go and find something constructive to do, like stay out of my hair."

"Bite me," the woman said as an officer led her away from the room. As soon as his back was turned, she raced back to the door, trying to hear the conversation that was just beginning inside.

Diana wasn't the only one though who was about to be shut out from the discussions. Bridger and the others soon found themselves facing the tubby man and being told the rules of engagement.

* * *

"Look, I know you people are probably wanting to be told what's going on here. Let me be frank from the outset by telling you that the explanation will not be coming from me," Harris explained.

Ben was about to voice an objection, when Bridger held him back, waiting for the man to finish speaking.

"It wasn't my idea for you to be here, but now that you are, you can sit at the end of the table and not interrupt us," he said bluntly.

"These discussions are between myself and my colleague and Lucas. If he decides to tell you what has been going on after the meeting is concluded, that is his affair. Though I would strongly warn him of the consequences for doing just that."

"I will explain later, I promise," Lucas said to Bridger, with a small smile. How was he going to tell the man who had legally adopted him as a son that his life so far had been a sham?

"As much as I hate to admit it, I need to talk to these guys. They are probably the only ones who can stop those men you saw from finding me and coming after me again."

"Can I just ask who these men are, Lucas?" Ben asked, not happy with all of the secrecy at all and not ashamed to say so out loud.

Lucas looked as his friend, knowing that he didn't have the heart to outright lie to him. Things had occurred now that couldn't be undone and were only going to get more complicated. He owed them some of the truth at least.

Harris saw the slight nod from Lucas, indicating it was alright to tell them who they were and how they were involved.

"My name is Detective Fred Harris. My partner is Christopher Arnold. We are members of an organisation linked to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Our sole purpose is to offer services and new identities to those victims of serious crime that fall eligible for the Witness Protection Plan."

"A little over 5 years ago, Lucas was referred to us as having need for such protection. The larger of the three men that you saw earlier is known as Johnny Dalton, a famous underworld figure. His two friends are Leroy Smith and Jake Seldon," Harris continued to explain.

"Why do you need to be protected, Lucas? What did you see that would make these men want to kill you?" Bridger asked with shock and concern written across his face.

"I saw him murder someone," Lucas replied in a very quiet voice, barely above a whisper. He didn't reveal the name of the murder victim and had no intentions of doing so at this stage. He turned his face away momentarily so he didn't have to face the curious stares from his friends.

This little separation of Lucas from his friends, make it the perfect opportunity for Harris and Arnold to discuss things privately with them. There was a large table and they made full use of it, allocating one end for Bridger and his companions with Lucas and the two officers at the other end.

Ben and the others were still able to hear a lot of what was being said, the only problem being that it wasn't making a lot of sense to them. Their minds were still whirling with the information that Lucas had witnessed a murder and was under some sort of protective custody to keep him safe.

Lucas took one of the chairs in the room and proceeded to rock back on two legs, as he talked to Harris and his partner. Arnold seemed content enough to follow Harris's lead and remained mostly silent.

"Today was a little too close for comfort," Harris said, noting the disinterested look from Lucas. He knew that the kid was not happy with the situation but he also knew that the kid was more scared than he would like to openly admit.

"You could say that," Lucas said, not looking up at the man making the statement.

"You know that means we will have to take a closer look at your current situation and re-evaluate certain matters?"

"Do whatever you think you need to," Lucas said, still not wanting to be a part of the conversation. "You always do anyway, whether I have something to say or not."

"Oh, come on Lucas, don't be all pouty on me. We try and keep in contact with you as best we can under the circumstances. We keep a low profile so that you are kept safe from Dalton."

"What do you want me to do?" Lucas said, jumping up from the chair, making his feelings felt. "Forgive me I don't go all gooey with enthusiasm every time you guys decide to show back up in my life."

"We send you a Christmas Card every year," Harris said smartly. "Your safety is what counts the most."

"Don't give me that crap, Harris!" Lucas shouted, and began pacing back and forth as he spoke. "I might have believed that three or even four years ago, but

I have done a lot of growing up since then. That tends to happen when you have to keep looking over your shoulder all the time to see if there is a bullet headed in your direction with your name written on it."

"A cynic of the system, Lucas," Harris chided. "Tsk, tsk, Lucas, I would have expected better from a smart kid like you."

"This is the first time you have seen Dalton since the last time, I take it?" Harris asked, forcing the conversation to turn to more serious.

"Yeah, but until you just said who his sidekicks were, I hadn't seen them before today," Lucas answered.

"You know if he manages to catch up with you, he _will _kill you," Harris said, not wanting to dance around the reality of the situation. The kid was grownup enough now to face the cold hard truth.

"He almost did that today," Lucas said, thinking of how close a number of those bullets had come to hitting him.

"You realise that you will have to be moved again," Harris said, glancing back at Bridger and the others as he revealed that information.

"But you can't………..," Lucas said, stopping his pacing and pleading with the man's sense of decency. "They are all I have had as family and friends for a long time. Don't take them away from me know. Please, don't do it."

"I know what I can and can't do Lucas, please don't spell it out for me. But you know the rules. Once your security has been breached, then you have to be relocated again. You have been luckier this time around and have spent a good deal longer at this place, that's all. It hurts to know that you are going to lose the friends you think you have made," Harris informed him, feeling a little bad for the teenager.

"I know the rules, Harris. You forget, I have lived with them all these years while you go home to your fat wife every night," Lucas said bitterly.

"I want to stay in one place for a while, like I have this time. Like you said, I have gotten to know them as my friends and family. I need to call somewhere home."

"I wish there was something I could do, Lucas, I wish you could believe that," Harris said in a gentler tone of voice. The relocation part of his job for victims was never easy to stomach and even harder on those like Lucas who were forced to suffer the most.

Bridger had heard the word "moved" and a few other sentences and didn't like what they were implying one bit. The dismayed look on Lucas's face spoke a thousand words, and the Captain was going to put a stop to whatever was causing him distress now.

"I am tired of running," Lucas said, forcing back tears of frustration at the unfairness of it all. The day had started out as a simple trip for shopping and now he was being moved again, just when he was beginning to feel safe and belonging somewhere.

"I hate to intrude here," Bridger said, walking over to Lucas and interrupting the conversation. He could see the officer wanting to tell him to go back to the other end of the table, but he wasn't about to have this man upset Lucas any further.

"I am Lucas's legal guardian. I have adoption papers that give me sole custody from his former parents Lawrence and Cynthia Wolenczak. If there is anything you need to discuss about Lucas's living arrangements, I suggest you do it in my presence," he said, using all of his Captain superiority to try and intimidate the man that he meant business when it came to Lucas.

Harris smirked for a few minutes, knowing that the Captain had Lucas's best interests at heart. He needed to point out that a few things had changed this afternoon however with Dalton coming back into the picture.

"Tell me, Mr Bridger, is it?" Harris started to ask.

"Captain Nathan Hale Bridger, Naval Commander of the U.E.O. vessel SeaQuest," he said formerly, interrupting the man's question briefly.

Lucas gave Bridger a wan smile for his efforts, but knew that Harris wouldn't be one to crack under such an important title and position.

"Well, _Captain Bridger, _I ask you, what name appears on those adoption papers. Who do you say that you adopted?" Harris asked.

Bridger almost laughed, the question seemed inane, if not trivial. Why would he ask something so straight forward? "I adopted Lucas Wolenczak to be my son," he confirmed, remembering the wording in detail.

"That's very noble of you Captain, I assure you. And none would be more happier to see such a thing happen, even myself here included. But you see, the reality of it is that Lucas Wolenczak never existed. All you have adopted is a piece of paper."

Bridger looked as though the man had physically struck him across the face. Here was this man, whom he had only just met, telling him that all the efforts he had gone over these past few years to guide, nurture and form a relationship with Lucas, didn't mean anything.

"I am not going to let you take me away again," Lucas said determinedly, looking at Ben and the others who were still coming to grips with the information about the adoption.

"And what are you going to do to stop us, Lucas. I don't like this either, but you have to worry about Dalton wanting you dead. Do you want that, huh?" Harris said irritably, tired of being made the bad guy in these situations.

"No," came Lucas's brief reply.

"What was that? I didn't hear you. If you want me to put a sign on you that says _"Shoot Me"_, or want me to advertise your address so as Dalton can find you easy enough, just let me know. Because otherwise, I am sticking my butt on the line for you as usual."

"I just want a life, damn it!" Lucas shouted angrily and kicked out at a paper waste basket under the table. "I can disappear again. I did it once before, I can do it again. I'll go and you will never find me," he said, trying to scare them.

"And go where, Lucas?" Harris asked. "You might have disappeared for a while, but we caught up with you again. This time it will be Dalton who catches up with you first if you do something stupid like that."

"Dalton's the one who should be on trial here, and here I am being kept caged up like a prisoner," Lucas accused. "I'm the damn prisoner here and don't you forget that," he repeated.

"You can go with these people for tonight, but tomorrow morning I will be there bright and early to take you to your new place and give you a new name. Be ready!" Harris said, terminating the conversation and thrusting the door open and walking away.

Arnold followed his partner, leaving a stunned and angry Lucas and a shocked SeaQuest crew to ponder what was going to happen in a little under 24 hours.

"Lucas what did he just mean by that?" Bridger asked gently, just wanting to make sure he understood the officer.

"He means that he coming tomorrow morning to take me away from SeaQuest," Lucas explained, and then walked out of the room himself.

to be continued...

**Author Notes: Okay, just quickly, the whole Witness Protection Plan idea is totally made up.**

**As is all refers to the FBI – I don't know if in the SeaQuest time frame they would have still existed – but for the purposes of this story – they do.**

**I still haven't told you what Lucas saw – but that is because it won't be Lucas telling Bridger and the others what happened. This is a little all over the place again, but I am trying to update as quickly as I can.**

**As I mentioned earlier, this story has had some major additions now which will eventually lead the plotline down another path than the original one intended.**

**Don't be picky about the officers letting Lucas go back with Bridger for one night – Dalton hasn't learned where he is living yet – but he is about to – for one night he will be okay – I think.**

**It is assumed at this stage that the Wolenczak's was one of the previous placements for Lucas – but will be explained a little better later in the storyline.**

**Please let me know that you are enjoying this story so far and hope you keep reading. There have been some significant additions to the story line, making it more complicated and longer at the same time.**

**Lucas's temporary living arrangements will be told in the next chapter and Harris has a unique method of trying to keep tabs on Lucas. I think is he underestimating our genius teenager.**

**Thanks for your continued support for my writing.**

**JULES**


	3. Protective Custody

**RUN**

**By JULES**

**CHAPTER THREE - PROTECTIVE CUSTODY**

**Comments to some of the wonderful reviews I received – Thanks a bunch !!**

**_Sara – "an original idea" - _****I certainly like to think so. I like Lucas tougher too – but I also like**** when he his vulnerable and alone. Hope to have a common medium. Everything – you want**** to know everything? - but I know nothing – LOL. Keep reading and reviewing please.**

**_Joxer_****_ – _****Are you bald yet ?? LOL – you have probably fallen off the chair at least by now.**

**Yeah, I know I owe you big because you are always reviewing my stories – paid back in cookies.**

**_Ihni_****_ – _****You like the tougher Lucas too – well you and Sara will both like what I am going to do**** with him in this one – Kristin and Bridger are not going to be totally happy with this new grown up Lucas though.**

**_Arc Gal – _****I sincerely I can keep you reading – update on the way.**

**_MsHobgoblin_****_ – _****I am so glad that you let me know how much you are enjoying the story – it makes my day when readers like what I write for them. I can only hope that you keep reading.**

**_Dolphinology_****_ – _****Sorry you had to wait for this chapter so long – I try and update as quickly as I can but real life tends to get in the way too much.**

**_AshleyAHinton_****_ – _****Your**** welcome for the new part. Actually I thought I could have done better with the chase scene, but I am glad that you like it enough the way it was. Know any film directors you can play agent for me to ?? LOL What out for the bullets down the track and some explosions.**

**_Kas7 – _****All will be revealed a little at a time – some questions answered in this chapter as to Lucas's past and what he saw. Diana's role will also be uncovered and she will still be around for a little while. Bridger and the others have been a little bit of observers at this stage of the game – but Bridger is certainly going to get the upper hand over Detective Harris. The captain of the flag-ship for the U.E.O. isn't about to let some stranger take away the one person he loves.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed – truly makes me want to write more for you all. The stories will continue to be written as long as there are readers out there to share my writing with. Many ideas still for even more stories in my head – getting crowded in there.**

**_and_****_ now the story turns another page:_**

On the way back to the car to leave the shopping centre, Bridger and the rest of the crew could see the tension and apprehension in Lucas's shoulders. He was definitely not in a mood to talk, although that was what they were all hoping he would do.

Everyone precent decided to give him all of the space he so desperately asked for with his body posture and his silence. His face was free of anger, but closed off as though a mask to what he was feeling inside.

Ben sat in the rear with Lucas, wanting to find a way to reach out and talk to his young friend. He didn't want to ask too many questions all at once, Lucas would no doubt just push him away.

Kristin and Bridger had been cautiously watching Ben's attempts at conversation to Lucas without interrupting. They knew it was difficult for both.

Lucas kept his gaze out the rear passenger window, seemingly oblivious to any of Ben's nervousness. Somehow though, he was able to sense what was about to come.

"No Ben!" Lucas stated simply, without turning his head in his friend's direction.

"Gee, Benny boy, that really went according to plan," Krieg chastised himself inwardly, trying to cover up his open mistake.

Ford hid the smirk behind his hand at Lucas's words to Krieg. He knew the Lieutenant was being genuine in his efforts, but Lucas had just shot him down in flames with Ben not even speaking a word. There were very few times during his military service that Commander Ford had seen Lieutenant Ben Krieg speechless, but today came damn close.

Ben closed his mouth obediently, receiving a sympathetic look from Kristin in the front of the car. He held his composure though. Somehow they would wait for the right moment to get the teenager to open up.

He obviously needed some time to digest what had just occurred back at the shopping centre. Lucas had a hand that was stinging and had been chased and shot at. Not something that happened every day and would definitely deserve some reflection and contemplation.

The silence in the car made the atmosphere awkward for all involved. They wanted to help Lucas and they wanted to find out so much about what had just occurred. But it was very clear that Lucas wasn't quite so willing to share his feelings, his past or anything else with the very people they thought he had begun to call a family.

The U.E.O. transport had barely enough time to pull up near the SeaQuest, when Lucas dashed forward from the rear of the vehicle and hurried towards the boat as fast as he could. He didn't pause to see if any of his friends or family were following him.

Bridger put a reassuring arm on Kristin to hold her back a minute, shaking his head slightly at what she wanted to do. Rushing towards him now would only force Lucas to put up more barricades around his fragile state. He would feel backed into a corner and no doubt retreat within himself as well, away from the very people who wished to help him.

The Captain couldn't deny that he wanted to do just the same as Kristin, but for Lucas's sake he forced himself to leave him alone for a while and hopefully approach the teenager when he had a chance to collect his thoughts together and be in a better mood to co-operate.

Bridger gave strict instructions to Krieg and Ford to pass the message around the SeaQuest that Lucas was to be left alone and not harassed. No doubt, the shooting and everything else that had happened that afternoon would soon be rumoured throughout the boat, with lots of idle and unhealthy gossip added in. Lucas didn't need that kind of attention at the moment.

Lucas found the problem when he reached the hatchway door was which way to go. His head was telling him to go to his own quarters and shut the rest of the world out and he tried to figure out what to do next about Detective Harris and Johnny Dalton.

Without even thinking though, Lucas found he had wandered on his own accord to the Captain's cabin and had already opened the door before realising where he was. Mentally and physically he didn't think he had the energy to berate himself and go back to his own room. The large comfy sofa on the far side of the room looked awfully inviting to his weary eyes and even more tired mind.

There was no sign of the Captain yet and Lucas slumped casually on the couch, lazing back against the ample cushions. He tried to fathom what madness had brought him here. Usually he wouldn't have a problem with being in the Captain's quarters, but what had happened today put a definite dampener on the whole situation and certainly left some concerns about what it meant for his immediate and longer future aboard SeaQuest.

In the past, on a boat where he felt sometimes he was overlooked and didn't necessarily fit in, Lucas had deemed the Captain's quarters as a sanctuary. Somewhere he could come for comfort and reassurance and feel safe and loved. He didn't want to destroy any of that false sense of hope he had created for himself. But it seemed that there were others in the world, more determined than he to see that he was continually looking over his shoulder.

With his blond head reclining against the back of the coach and sinking a little further into the soft fabric, Lucas didn't feel his eyelids begin to droop with fatigue. A few minutes later and the teenager was sound asleep, still fully clothed and wearing his sneakers.

Kristin had met Nathan outside the door to his quarters, forty minutes later, bearing a glass of ice-cold water and a couple of aspirin. She surmised that the teenager's hand might be smarting a little more by now and the medication was a way of approaching him without causing over suspicion.

Bridger smiled at her, noting the contents of her hands and inwardly thanking her for her motherly concern for Lucas. They both entered the room together, thinking that they were in for a tumultuous fight with Lucas. A lump rose to the back of their throats as they gazed at the sight of Lucas slumped sound asleep on the couch across the room.

Quietly, both of them crept over, making sure they didn't disturb him. A plethora of thoughts were going through their minds, but neither of them voiced them out loud.

"Didn't even have time to remove his shoes," Kristin laughed softly, bending down and gently tugging the footwear off and laying them aside. Bridger had followed her lead and draped a warm blanket from his own bed over the sleeping teenager.

"What has happened that you have shut yourself away from us again, Lucas?" Bridger asked gently. He received no reply, but continued to voice his deep concern that things were going back to where they were when he had started undoing all of the hurt that Lawrence Wolenczak had caused.

The same barricades were going up, and it seemed right at the moment they were going up even faster than they had back then. Lucas was withdrawing into himself again, refusing to let even a shred of his emotions show through the harsh rough exterior he tried so hard to portray when he felt at his weakest.

"I want to help you Lucas. Please don't close me out like you once did," Bridger said, brushing back some stray strands of blond hair from the teenager's forehead. The fatigue lines were still there, indicating that whatever this new problem was, it was already have a deep impact on Lucas's life.

Bridger stood up once more, still watching his young charge as he slept. "I am not going to let him go Kristin," he murmured. He felt her hand on his shoulder in a silent vouch of co-operation and teamwork to work through the next few days. Whatever they may bring.

"If I have to fight tooth and nail for him, I will," Bridger continued. "I brought this boy back from the brink of almost certain self-destruction once before. I won't stand idly by and let these agents, whoever they are, to let him give into self-doubt and recrimination again. I won't let them or anybody else hurt him again."

Kristin remained a silent companion, but inwardly knew he meant every single word. There were some bonds in this world that shouldn't be broken and Bridger and Lucas had formed one of the strongest ones she had ever seen.

"You better get some sleep, Nathan," Kristin suggested.

"Somehow I think we are going to both need it," she added, leaving the room. "Keep a good eye on him, but don't forget to rest yourself."

Bridger smiled appreciatively at her and let out an audible sigh as he looked over at Lucas and pondered her words. Yes, no doubt tomorrow would bring new situations into play, but he would be prepared he vowed to himself.

* * *

By lunch time the next day, tensions were running extremely high and there was some shouting coming from the Captain's quarters as Lucas prepared to leave.

Detective Harris and Mr Arnold had turned up about an hour earlier and demanded that Lucas come with them. There wasn't much packing to be done as Lucas had half suspected this to occur anyway.

As soon as the black sedan had arrived in the pier, Lucas had thrown a few changes of clothes into a bag and whatever bits and pieces he deemed meant the most to him. He had to be realistic.

Deep down inside he suspected that he would be leaving for good, whether he wanted to or no matter what anybody else said.

Life just sucked and you found yourself somewhere else to call home for a few months. It had been that way as long as he could remember. He berated himself for briefly thinking that this relocation would have been any different from all the others, no matter how relaxed he had become against the scenery and no matter how much he felt he had cared about the people around.

Lucas had seen the car and instead of flying off the handle like everyone expected, or refusing to even accommodate the idea of leaving. The teenager had casually gone to get his bag and headed to the car, ready to leave with barely a goodbye.

It was Bridger who confronted him and his acceptance of the idea in his quarters. Kristin was present too, but with the door to the Captain's quartes wide open, almost anybody with arms reach heard what was being exchanged.

"I will call if I can," Lucas said as he walked past Bridger and the doctor. Barely loud enough for either of them to have heard.

Bridger wasn't about to let it go with that though. "So that's it huh?"

Lucas paused at the slight edge to Bridger's words. He didn't turn around right away, too afraid of the accusation he would see on the man's face.

"You're just going to walk out of here like that!" Bridger challenged.

"Yeah, just like that," Lucas whispered to himself, his emotions threatening to betray and get the better of him, standing there in the doorway.

"Without a word of goodbye, or any kind of explanation as to why you are doing this?" Bridger snapped.

Lucas's own temper was beginning to surface. All of the fear within him and he could think of only one way to get rid of it without it consuming him from the core. And that was to get angry back at Bridger. He turned, with scathing words upon his lips.

"What do you want me to say? That somehow I have a choice in this whole god-damned thing!"

"Yes you do have a choice Lucas. Walk away from these men and live the life here that you have come to know with us here on SeaQuest."

"Hmph," Lucas sneered. "It's all as easy at that."

"I want to help you Lucas," Bridger said, wanting to reach over to the boy and shake him by the shoulders until he understood that much. The frustration at being kept in the dark was beginning to make him unravel.

"That's exactly why I have to go."

"Why?"

"Because………..," he said angrily, tripping over his own words as he fought to find the right words to answer the question. His shoulders were slumped, giving an indication of how burdensome his secrets were becoming.

Bridger gestured with a nod of his head that he was still listening.

"Because in here there is so much pain already," Lucas shouted as he pointed to his heart.

"This isn't as easy as it looks. To walk out on the people you love. To know that you have to leave just to protect them."

"But you don't have to go. We can protect you."

"You can't! Don't you understand? He is out there looking for me. If he finds me, he will find you. If he doesn't find me, he will come looking here for me."

"You're taking too much on yourself Lucas. All we need to do is sit down and talk for a few minutes and figure this all out……….. together."

"I don't have a few minutes, I have to go."

Bridger didn't want to be angry at the boy anymore. All of the fight had gone out of him as he saw a single tear roll down Lucas's pale, scared face. Somehow, although it sounded all upside down and back to front. The only way to hold onto him was to let him go.

"Will I see you again?"

"I don't know………." Lucas said as he began walking away. His head screamed at him to be honest and say "no" outright. But he didn't have the strength to admit that. Even to himself.

Bridger wanted to run up and grab the boy by the scruff of the neck and tell him that there was no way on this earth that he was going anywhere. But now all he could do was watch Lucas walk down along the pier and get into the back seat of the sedan.

Lucas looked briefly out of the window, giving Bridger the most angelic and beautiful smile that the Captain had seen from him yet. His blue eyes were staring back at him, telling him** _goodbye_**_._

* * *

Detective Harris had briefly walked over to the Captain before climbing into the vehicle, clearly seeing the emotional damage that was being done to everybody, including Lucas.

"I can't promise you anything, Captain, but I will try and keep you informed about his whereabouts, for now anyway. He probably won't get moved out of the city for a few days and won't receive a new name for another 24 hours," Harris began to say.

"You can't do a thing for me Detective, except return Lucas to me, the way it should be," Bridger said, renewing his anger at the agent.

"You haven't heard the last of me. I am not going to sit around and watch you destroy the relationship Lucas and I have."

"I appreciate the pain that you are going through, but this is all very necessary to keep him safe and alive until Dalton can be arrested," Harris said, trying to smooth things over.

"Don't tell me what I am feeling," Bridger said ominously. "You will be hearing from me real soon. Until then, you take good care of Lucas. If something should happen to him, I am going to hold you personally responsible."

"Good day, gentleman, doctor," Harris said, realising that the conversation wasn't going anywhere. He headed back to the car and drove slowly away.

The crew could see Lucas's blond head through the rear window of the sedan. The teenager didn't turn around to look as he left. They never knew the heart ache that was clearly written on his face or the profound sense of loss that he was feeling inside.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Krieg asked with hesitation. None of the crew blamed Bridger for what had happened. They knew that the agents had taken Lucas without consent, but on the face of it there seemed very little they could do to legally stop them.

"We go and call in some old favours, Mr Krieg," Bridger said, thinking as he spoke. Already he knew he would pull out all of the stops and call in every favour ever owed if it meant getting Lucas back safely.

Commander Ford had a gratifying look on his face, knowing that the Captain worked his best when the odds were against him and his was being pushed up against the wall in a fight.

Bridger might not look to much of a challenge on the outside, but experience had taught Jonathan that Nathan Bridger was a force to be reckoned with when it came to people he cared about and loved.

The senior crew had already given their one hundred per cent pledge to support Bridger in any ideas he had about helping Lucas. He told them that initially there wasn't much they could do.

He was about to go to U.E.O. Headquarters and have a meaningful discussion with Admiral Bill Noyce and a few other high ranking naval officers. He wasn't leaving that building until he got the assistance, equipment and personnel that he intended to demand.

Three hours later, Bridger returned to the SeaQuest with good news about his requests and demands. He had the support and go ahead that he wanted. He curiously looked at a vehicle parked along side the pier as he went to go in and tell the crew all that he had accomplished at the meetings.

* * *

Bridger walked into the Ward Room to find most of the people he sought already assembled.

With them was the becoming familiar figure of Diana Lane. He didn't know how she had gotten aboard without his explicit permission. But by the looks of things, she might be able to fill in a few of the gaps to the story that were so desperately seeking.

"Miss Lane!" Bridger greeted her, coming through the door. "Commander," he added, shaking Jonathan's hand but still looking questioningly at the woman's presence aboard his boat.

"Diana has agreed to tell us what she knows about Lucas's past," Kristin said before Bridger could ask that very question. "Let's just hear what she has to say."

Bridger nodded his agreement, knowing that he wanted to know more than most. He secured the door to the room, wanting nobody else to hear what was being said except those directly involved. For now, he kept his vital piece of news until he heard what the woman was going to tell them.

"Kristin was just telling me about Lucas and his leaving earlier today," Lane said in empathy to the Captain. "I just wanted to let you all know, that although it might not appear so, I care about Lucas a great deal."

"Okay, we believe you, for now, because for now we have no proof to doubt what you say. That episode between you and Lucas in the shopping centre didn't exactly look like a reunion of long lost friends," Bridger remarked skeptically.

"I think he was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him," Lane replied with a small, fake laugh. "I have brought some newspaper clippings with me that I collected from some time ago. They might help verify the story I am about to share with you."

"Do any of you remember the Rodriguez murders from a while back?" Lane now asked, directly the question at all in the room.

Everyone exchanged glances, with a few of them twitching at vague memories of hearing such a surname. Nobody spoke out loud at first.

Kristin soon made a motion to speak, "I remember something about that name," she said, her forehead furrowed in recalling exactly what she knew. "This was about what……… six or seven years ago?"

"Five," Diana corrected. "Five long years ago. More than enough for poor Lucas to have to live through." She decided to continue the story without further prompting of her audience.

They all deserved to know the truth about what happened that night, especially if they wanted to help keep Lucas alive.

"My name is Diana Lane as you have heard. What you don't know is that I am a reporter for the Times newspaper. Have been since I was seventeen years old. Five years ago, I was about 22, when I first came across Lucas.

"Was Lucas his real name back then?" Kristin found herself asking.

"Yes, the right Christian name, he hasn't used it in a while now though. Most of his other identities have been real boring names. I don't really know why this time he decided to go back to using his real first name. Maybe he felt that he didn't need to run for a while. Though with Dalton still on the loose, you never can be so sure."

"Who is this Dalton character? Is he the guy that was shooting at Lucas in the shopping centre?" Commander Ford interrupted.

"Wait a minute!" Bridger interrupted, almost getting out of his seat. "You can't mean that Lucas is somehow mixed up those murders five years ago?" He knew somehow deep down inside that they were beginning to learn all about Lucas's other life.

"Yes he was," Diana said simply, pausing before continuing with the next piece of information that would be difficult to hear. "The Rodriguez's, Thomas and Nancy, were Lucas's real parents."

At that moment, there was nothing but silence in the room as reality struck home to the crew.

"Oh my God," Kristin said alarmed, her hand covering her mouth in silent horror. "What has that poor boy been through?"

"You don't know the half of it," Lane said, knowing there was much more for them to hear. She deliberately lowered the tone of her voice to tell them the most horrific parts of the story.

"Dalton and his men had already been at the Rodriguez's house when Lucas came home that night. Lucas virtually walked in on them in the middle of them committing the murders. From what he told me, Thomas Rodriguez was already dead in a pool of blood on the floor."

"Dalton had the gun pointed at Nancy and had her backed up against the wall ready to pull the trigger."

"Lucas watched in full view as Dalton pulled the trigger and the bullet hit his mother, Nancy in the head. Killed her instantly and he saw her slide down the wall, leaving a long bloody trail down the wall behind," Lane continued, knowing there was no real way to sugar coat what Lucas had witnessed that fateful night.

Bridger's face had lost colour. He was not in danger of collapsing or anything, but the pain that he and everybody else in the room felt in sympathy for Lucas, was more than apparent.

"How old was Lucas when this happened?" Commander Ford, being able to work out the math in his head from the teenager's current age minus five years. Somehow it didn't sound possible that the kid had been that young, so he found himself asking, despite that which he already knew.

"He was twelve," she replied, knowing there wasn't much more of a picture she could paint.

Again, the silence in the room became deafening. Everyone now felt guilty for anything awkward or condescending that they may have said to the teenager in the past. They knew they shouldn't feel sorry for him like that, but somehow every bad word said in anger or frustration was now echoing in each of their heads. Why hadn't they shown a little more consideration and understanding they asked themselves individually?

If Lucas was to walk in that room after everything they had just been told, each of them knew that they would not be able to find a single word to say in response.

"I guess you are all wondering what happened next," Diana said, seeing each of their expressions and knowing how appalled they were all feeling on Lucas's behalf.

"I don't know all of the details, it's one area of the story that Lucas has always remained sketchy on. Like he just shut it out of his mind or something. But he ran. That's all I know. He ran from the house, obviously still in shock at seeing his parents laying in their own blood."

"Is that when these agents Harris and Arnold came onto the scene?" Ben Kreig asked. Up until now, the Lieutenant had remained uncharacteristically silent and serious since the conversation had begun.

"No, they didn't come into the situation until a few months later, after the funeral and stuff. The local police found Lucas early the next morning, huddling in some bushes at the back of his parent's large house estate. He must have remained there all night. Watching as the ambulance and police came and took his parents away in body bags. I doubt whether he slept at all that night."

"Then they had the funeral. Everybody guessed that it was Dalton who was responsible but they could never pin it on him. Apart from the blood and the bodies, nothing linked him to the crime. There were no other witnesses except Lucas. I don't even know who called the police in the first place."

"Must have been one of the hired help at the house when they came back later that evening. By then, Dalton and his accomplices were gone along with any evidence that would make the charge of murder stick."

"Why did Dalton kill the Rodriguez's in the first place?" Ford asked.

"That's is something you will have to ask Lucas about Commander. I never did find out the motive for the killings and Lucas never did want to say." Lane answered.

"Where do you come into this story then Miss Lane?" Kristin asked, noticing that her involvement had yet to be revealed.

"Back then, I had just graduated from journalism school. Looking for my first big break you know," Lane said with smug attitude but her face telling a completing different story.

"I heard about the Rodriguez's murders and thought I could make a name for myself," she said, slightly ashamed.

"So what went wrong?" Bridger probed gently, already surmising the real answer why.

"I met Lucas. And at first I tried to manipulate him like everyone else involved to getting him to tell me his side of the story. I just wanted the details to tell to the world. Make a few bucks. But then I realised that there was a story to be told, only that it shouldn't be told so I could make a tax-free profit. I realised that it was worth telling because of Lucas."

"I am sure that Lucas realises what your intentions were," Krieg said, noting now why the teenager had reacted the way he did in the supermarket.

"Oh he says he understands what my job is, but truth be known, I am not interested in putting any of Lucas's story in the paper now. I just want to help him get back a normal life. To have a family of some sort and people that love and care about him. I am sure the Rodriguez's did love him. But they have been gone for a long time. Five years to be one your own is toughfor anybody, especially someone Lucas's age."

"We want to help him as much as you do," Kristin said on behalf of everyone in the room.

"Could you do me a favour then? These clippings that I have of the case from over the years, with everything that has been happening the last couple of days. It might be safer if I left them here with you. You can look at them anytime you want. Most of them are my file notes and articles I kept from the police investigation at the time. They might help you know more about Lucas's background."

"We would be glad to keep them here," Bridger said as his mind drifted off the people in the room and focused solely on what they were going to do to help and find Lucas.

"Well, I would love to stay and chat all day, but I had better go before someone sees me here that shouldn't," Lane said as she got up and prepared to leave. "There is a lot more to find out, and I will stay in touch with you when I can. I promise you that I won't let any harm to come to Lucas if I can prevent it."

"Thank you for coming Miss Lane, we appreciate the risk you have taken already and everything that you have told us here today," Bridger said.

After the reporter had left, the crew had been left with a lot to think about. More questions and answers and to wonder what the future held for Lucas while Dalton was still out there on the loose.

* * *

That evening, whilst the crew were mulling over everything that Diane Lane had told them, and occasionally thumbing through some of the articles that she had left behind. They received a visit from Detective Harris at the pier.

"I don't know who you spoke to Captain, or what kind of strings you pulled," Harris said, his voice seething. "But do know that I don't like it."

"So noted, Detective," Bridger said, not backing down at the man's threatening stance. "I told you before that I am not just going to stand idly by and let you take Lucas away from me. Adoption paper or not, Lucas is my son."

"Well, whatever kind of stunt you pulled, orders have come down from much higher than myself that you are to be informed of what is going on. **_Informed_** only. Not involved or doing anything. But you will see and hear what goes on for now," Harris stated.

"What do you mean?" Bridger asked, bristling at the man's attitude. He had made it plain to Admiral Noyce and others that he intended to help Lucas. He had leaned on Noyce who had in turn leaned heavily on the Police Commissioner and the head of the Special Unit in charge of handling Protective Witnesses.

"Here," Harris said, handing the Captain sophisticated video camera and other viewing equipment.

"With this you will be able to see Lucas for the time being. Hear what he says and see what he is doing. At the moment we are able to move him to a secure and secret location until other arrangements can be made. He will remain there under surveillance and a high level of security."

"When do we get to help?" Bridger asked as he eyed the equipment with suspicion. Somehow he saw it as a palm off from the agent to get rid of him from getting involved. But at the moment is was the only link he and the rest of the crew had with Lucas.

They had no idea where they were going to take the teenager or what security measures had been put in place. It would be advantageous for them and Lucas to know these sorts of details until they could come up with a more suitable plan for getting Lucas back to the SeaQuest.

"You should be able to use that equipment without too much trouble. You cannot communicate with Lucas. But like I said you can see and hear everything that will be said in the room. There will be a two way mirror in the room and specialised officers have been placed behind it to monitor his room and make sure no one enters or leaves without us knowing about it. Or that any unauthorised contact is made between Lucas and others," Harris explained.

"Have a nice day," Harris said sarcastically as he walked away towards his car.

Bridger and the others were forced to watch as he drove away with clenched fists and vows that they weren't about to be bullied by this agent. Some of them even doubted his allegiance and loyalty to keeping Lucas safe, but they had to take his word on that for now. They had no other choice but to believe.

Bridger hoped that Lucas was mature enough to handle everything that was swirling around him at the moment and emotionally tough enough to withstand whatever other obstacles that he was going to come up against.

They walked back into the room, keen to set up the equipment and monitor Lucas's new surroundings. Bridger had already secured indefinite leave for the senior crew until this was all sorted. There were enough other staff put in place on the base to run the maintenance on the boat and do whatever other military tasks that were required until they were due on the next tour of duty.

* * *

In a darkened alley in the middle of the city, a conversation was being held between two men.

Both cloaked in shadows to avoid being seen or recognized.

"Why is it taking so long?" the first voice asked a little edge to it.

"I can't just give out that sort of information without somebody being suspicious. You will just have to wait a little longer," the second voice responded. The figure cautiously looked around again to make sure that nobody could have seen them talking, even by accident.

"Your part of this Special Unit they had set up to protect the kid. I need to know where they are going to take him and when."

"Keep your shirt on, when I can I will let you know. But not until all the gossip settles down a bit. There is too many people in this already and too many tongues waging."

"You forget what consequences await you if I deem you to fall short of your loyalties to me," the first voice said ominously.

The second figure swallowed uneasily, knowing exactly what the threat of 'consequences' entailed. "You will have it I swear, just give me a little more time."

"I want that kid dead. He is the only witness. If I plug him full of lead the cops have got nothing. This has already taken too long. It should have ended five years ago. You don't have much longer to comply with my request."

At that the first figure got into a vehicle and drove out of the building car park, leaving the second figure with much to ponder and plans to make. He lit a cigarette and nervously puffed away as he thought about this whole messy business.

Now, they had to get the kid settled into his temporary lodgings and in a few days time, give him a new place to live and new identity. The fact that the kid's current family and friends had somehow managed to stick their noses in, made it all the more difficult to carry out Dalton's biding.

* * *

Bridger and the senior crew had just settled themselves away in the Ward Room of the SeaQuest, determined to be disturbed if the matter was absolutely urgent. They hoped to gain as much information about Lucas's new place to live and somehow be able to bring him back to the boat real soon.

From where they sat now, the camera was showing them a vacant room. Very large and looking to be the floor of an old office building that had been transformed into a living arrangement.

There was a modular kitchen and a couple of doors, probably leading to bedrooms and a bathroom. All in all, the place didn't look half bad. Lucas should be comfortable for the brief time they planned for him to stay there. There was a large mirror on the far wall, taking up a large amount of space. Most likely the two-way mirror that Harris had spoken about with the secret room on the other side for monitoring Lucas's activities.

The screen the crew was viewing from suddenly split into two or three smaller panels, giving them views of other rooms that were under tight surveillance. They could see a completely outfitted bedroom, with stereos and a television. There was a second, larger television in the living room, with a video recorder and other furniture such as couches and coffee tables.

Whoever had set up the room had gone to a great deal of trouble and care with a teenager in mind to be living there.

Until now, the screen had remained silent, due to their being nobody in the room. The crew could now hear voices coming from the other side of the front door, and a key being jingled in the lock.

"Look, I don't like this any better than you do, Lucas," Harris said as he and the teenager came through the door and into frame due to the cameras.

"I don't see any objections coming from you to the head of your department though," Lucas said as he glanced around the room, not seemingly interested in anything that was on offer. The less time he spent here the better he told himself.

Lucas now spotted the large mirror at the other end of the room and being a little more astute, instantly recognized it's intended purpose. "Oh, that's real nice, Harris," he shot off sarcastically.

"Now I really feel like a common criminal."

"We aim to please," Harris said smugly, going to the refrigerator and grabbing out two cans of soda. 'The fridge is well stocked, if you need anything, just let us know. They didn't exactly know your dietary habits when they went grocery shopping," he added, seeing the vast array of different items on display. Half of it would go bad before it was eaten. The kid probably ate junk food mostly.

Harris handed one of the cans of soda out to Lucas, partially meant as a peace offering to put their differences aside for the time being while they were both forced to endure this situation. Neither of them were happy about it and neither of them pretended to want to like it or get used to it.

"Lucas, I am going to leave you here on your own soon. You don't need me to spell out the rules of this place to you. Or maybe just for you I will. No leaving without explicit permission and only then in the company of myself or Mr Arnold. No unauthorised phone calls, communications or other messages with the outside world with us knowing about it. Those guys in the room back there will be able to see everything and anybody coming or going."

"Do I have to ask to go to the bathroom?" Lucas asked cheekily, making Kreig laugh out loud at his wit.

"This is for your own protection Lucas and you know it. I will check in periodically, but until then, contact will remain strictly on a needs only basis. If you need any new toys to play with, let me know, I will see what I can do. If you need videos to watch I'll get some brought in for you. In other words, you better get used to these four walls for a few days kid, because you are going to be looking at them a lot."

Lucas was standing directly in front of the large sofa as he took a swig of his soda. "And what are you going to do about it if I decide to leave here?" Daring Harris and baiting him as much as possible able his intentions.

For a second or so Harris didn't answer though, his eyes seemed to drift to the soft drink can in Lucas's hand. He looked up at the teenager, waiting for the reaction he knew was coming.

Lucas watched Harris's gaze on the can and then began to feel woozy and light-headed. The teenager tried to shake his head a little as if to clear the fog that was quickly engulfing his train of thought. The real crux of the problem soon came to light and he snarled up at the agent, knowing exactly what had been done.

Bridger's brow frowned a little as he watched Lucas become increasingly unsteady on his feet. He leaned closer to the viewing screen to try and work out what was going on.

"You bas………..," Lucas mouthed, grasping out for the arm of the chair to try and stop the room from spinning away from him so rapidly. Without another sound, Lucas slumped unconscious against the couch's cushions, in a drugged sleep.

"Yeah, I know kid," Harris said as he lifted the boy's legs onto the couch. "Don't worry, it's only a light sedative, it should wear off you in about forty minutes. In the mean time, I want you to wear this," he added, clipping a thick, silver coloured bracelet on Lucas's limp wrist.

"Probably some sort of tracking device," Ford assumed, having seen a few similar devices during his military service. It didn't sit any better in the pit of his stomach though to know that Lucas was wearing one, or the methods used to place it on him.

"Make sure you watch him good," Harris said to the mirror and the two agents behind it. He walked to the door and made sure the door would lock securely behind him as he left.

to be continued………………….

**Author Notes: Okay here you go – hope you enjoy.**

**Please don't chew me out about the whole standoffish thing with Lucas and Bridger – I know it seemed like Lucas put a lot of distance between himself and Bridger all of a sudden – that was intentional but probably sounded a little harsher than I wanted. Lucas just wanted to walk away but he will come to realise how important friends and family are down the track and that sometimes you have to rely on others even if you have been on your own for so long.**

**Like I said, Bridger and the crew and mainly observers at the moment. The whole see him and hear but can't communicate with him idea is lame but I want them to be able to see what is going on but not get involved just yet.**

**Diane's background probably needs some additional work as does the Rodriguez murder plot – but that will come later in pieces. Most of it you have now.  
**

**The surname just came from nowhere in particular I don't know how bad Lucas Rodriguez sounds but anyway.**

**Please enjoy and let me know if you are still reading. The little bits I wanted to put in there showing Lucas a little more grown up than the crew are used to will be in the next part. **

**Who are the two guys talking in the carpark you ask ?? – well you might think you know the answer, but only time will tell if you are correct or not. Don't always assume the answer is as plain as it looks. (evil grin).**

**Thanks for your comments and continued reading.**

**JULES**


	4. Self Reliance

**RUN**

**By Jules**

**CHAPTER FOUR - SELF-RELIANCE**

**Icealina – a new reader – YAY !! – come on in and take a seat for a while – the ride is about to get quite bumpy so you better buckle up.**

**Sara – Made your day? – I aim to please where I can. You remembered my IT story – the one that I started so long ago that I promise will be completed. Except in that one they were like ghosts and could see and be in the same places. This idea is like the gadget I used in Hauntings – you have such a great memory for my stories. The Rodriguez name is totally picked out of thin air. Please keep reading and reviewing.**

**Kiddo – I swear, I haven't read your story, but I will wait until after I write this one and jump right on over there. This one shouldn't go down any familiar paths. LOTR fan – snickers inwardly – you are only looking at the most obsessed fan ever – and the proof is on my author page – but ROTK is not where I got that idea from. I just pictured Lucas looking out the window at Bridger – they wouldn't have been able to hear each other anyway because of the glass, so the goodbye was a silent one.**

**Dolphinology – thanks for the comments – I truly appreciate every review I get. I try and update as quickly as I can, but I write 3 different fandoms so I have to spread what little writing time I have between all of them to keep all the readers happy. Please keep reading.**

**Joxer – I was waiting at the airport for you – didn't see you LOL. It takes forever because I need more than 50 hours in a day instead of 24 and even that wouldn't be enough. You don't need to make me write, I love doing it – but I know how frustrating it is waiting. I just wish I could spend every day writing fan fiction. More cookies on their way – but only if you keep reading.**

**Inhi – Yeah, I can leave you like that, the evil person that I am. Makes you all stick around longer and want to read more. LOL. Keep reading. Updates as often and as soon as I can which sometimes is difficult.**

**Linari – Don't have to wait any longer – here is the next chapter. Glad you are enjoying it so far.**

**okay – on with the next part – might not be as long as other chapters – some of this should have been tacked onto the end of the last chapter.**

**Enjoy !! and please remember to let me know how it is going.**

The forty minutes soon turned into two hours before Lucas showed any signs of regaining consciousness. The crew had been anxiously monitoring his condition, especially Kristin who had voiced her outraged opinion on more than one occasion during that time of drugging teenagers just to place a bug on them.

"Oh man," Lucas groaned as he tried to open his eyes and sit up all at once. Bad idea he told himself as his head throbbed from the effort. He brought his hand to his head to try and massage the pain away. It was now that he noticed the new piece of jewellery adorning his wrist.

"Why that...," Lucas shouted, adding a colour array of obscenities along with it directed at Harris who had placed it there. He already knew its purpose.

Lucas tried to pull himself off the chair, leaning against the armrest heavily for a moment while his regained his equilibrium. He cursed out loud again at the weakness he felt due to whatever concoction Harris had chosen to put into his can of soda.

Lucas's gaze was drawn to the number of revolving cameras working in the corners of the ceiling, and then he remembered the large mirror. In utter and sheer cheekiness, he now openly waved at the two agents behind the mirror. "Hi guys."

Kreig was sent into fits of laughter again as he come to like this new brash version of Lucas. Bridger was about to chastise the Lieutenant but instead smiled along with him. It was kind of fun to see a different side of Lucas.

"I am going to order Chinese, you guys want any?" Lucas said as he made his way to the phone.

"I will dial Hong Fu's on West Street," he informed them, holding up the yellow pages. The agents in the room made sure that the number being punched in was the same as the book. It couldn't hurt too much to get some take away food.

"I didn't even know Lucas like Chinese food all that much. He doesn't say so back here on the boat," Kreig noted out loud. The others nodded their heads in agreement at not knowing the teenager's like of oriental cuisine.

After hanging up, Lucas looked about the room and tried to decide what to do until the food was delivered. He grabbed the remote control and slump down onto the couch, flicking on the television to see if anything was worth watching.

Lucas found his gaze constantly wandering down to the bracelet around his wrist. It was awkward and cumbersome. He tried slipping letter opener underneath it to try and prise it off.

"Damn it," Lucas shouted as the letter opener caught on the skin and made a small cut on the inside of his wrist that began bleeding. He tossed the letter opener on a nearby coffee table, knowing that he would have to come up with another method of getting it off. While he pondered that thought, he held a tissue to the cut to stem the flow of blood.

Kristin had gasped out loud as Lucas fiddled with the letter opening, already guessing at the possible outcome and consequences. She was already promising to talk to him sternly once they were able to, much to the amusement of other crew members in the room.

A voice came from a microphone attached to one of the remote control cameras, "Your food is here kid," one of the agents behind the mirror informed him.

"Oh good, I am starved," Lucas declared, eager to head to the door.

"Wait a minute, we have to frisk the delivery boy to make sure he is safe," the agent stated.

Lucas rolled his eyes dramatically at such a statement, "You better check for the poisoned spike he is packing on him too and the sonic missile device he has jammed up his butt," the teenager said sarcastically.

The agents ignored the comments, but glared back at Lucas, totally unimpressed. They didn't ask to be there as baby-sitters, that was for sure. They could be out on the beat doing something more worthwhile.

Ben Krieg was laughing so hard it hurt. He wondered how long the teenager had been hiding this other side of him. When he came back to the boat, there were so many things they could enjoy doing together. That is, if he returned to the boat, he reminded himself solemnly. But then started laughing again at Lucas' bold comments. That was one to write down for his own private collection for later reference.

"Okay, he's clean," the agent said, allowing the slightly confused delivery boy through the door. Lucas couldn't help but smile at the person who stood before him. He couldn't have planned this better if he had tried. Standing before him was a way out of this place.

"Do you mind if the guy stays and shares the food with me," Lucas asked, winking to the delivery person.

"Nah, go ahead. We checked him out, he's okay," the agent said, glancing at the magazine he was reading rather than the two teenagers in the room. So long as they did what they were supposed to and not very much else, the two of them were happy. They just had to make sure that the kid didn't get killed until Harris came back in the morning and they would be off the hook.

Bridger and the others became intrigued as Lucas put a finger to his lips at the other boy, shushing him. Lucas tiptoed just out of frame of the remote control cameras, having been well acquainted with their optimum recording distance in the past. Lucas stood on the seat of a chair and ever so carefully, pulled at a wire on one of the cameras.

He climbed back down and walked back into frame as though he had just stepped to the side for a moment, "Don't worry, the guys in there can't hear anything that is said in here now," Lucas said with a smile.

"Dolts, when will they realise that they are messing with the best," Lucas said as he waved comically at the agents who were blissfully unaware that they were no longer able to hear any conversation. To them, they could see the two boys talking, but assumed that they were speaking softly.

"We can still hear him just fine," Commander Ford pointed out as he watched Lucas effectively disable the security equipment. Not all of it. Lucas was much to smart for that. He knew he could only do it on a small scale, so that it wouldn't be noticed exactly what he had done. With the agents still having visual contact to the room, they were being had and didn't even know it yet.

"Now that they can't hear us, we can relax a little," Lucas said. "How the hell have you been Wolfy?"

"Great Lucas," the other boy said, losing all of his nervousness in a second, the minute he knew they weren't being overheard.

"I think I got everything you asked for. Don't quote me. I don't often have what you asked for just laying around you know."

"Whatever you did will be just fine," Lucas assured his friend.

"Let's set the food down on the coffee table there so it looks like we are just eating. Then we can get down to the other goodies you brought. Just be careful about showing anything too openly."

"How does he know this other fellow?" Bridger said incredulously.

Did Lucas plan this? And if he did how? The boy seemed to have the art of espionage well at hand. He was very good at being that little bit deceptive so it looked like he was doing exactly what he was told.

"He is a shrewd operator, I will admit that," Ford commented. "I should have had Lucas help out on a few more missions during his last tour. I could have used someone like him."

"The point is, we didn't even know he had the skills to pull any thing like this off back then, Jonathan," Kristin said, still trying to comprehend what all of this meant for Lucas in the long term. He had obviously gained these skills over the years after being forced to rely on himself after what Diana had told them happened. But where would all of this lead Lucas.

"So where are you moving to?" Lucas's friend asked. It had been plain to him from the start that the teenager wouldn't be hanging around these parts very long. Lucas's theory was simple, if he was threatened or recognized, he would just lay low until things cooled down. Look at another part of the country as it were and change his name again.

"Can't put anything past you can I?" Lucas smiled as he handed Wolfy a paper plate and served some of the takeaway food. "What gave me away?"

"The things you asked for mostly," Wolfy answered with a forkful of noodles in his hand.

"It's not every day I get asked to lend you a car and clothes. I figured something major must have been up for you to call in the first place. Not very you, Lucas."

"Yeah, your probably right about that, and I am sorry that you had to get involved," Lucas replied, putting down the plate of food. He hadn't eaten anything but other things occupied his thoughts at the moment. There was a lot to be considered before he got away from here.

"You didn't answer the question?" Wolfy pointed out matter-of-factly. "Where are you headed?"

"I don't really know myself yet. Did you manage to get the 'other' thing I asked for?" he asked cautiously. He chose not to come right out and ask whether or not he could get his hands on a gun for protection.

"Yes, I got it. My Uncle's .38, he left it at my mom's house a long time ago. I don't even think he knows he hasn't got it anymore."

"It's in the glove compartment of the car that I parked downstairs for you. Are you sure you want to be doing this? You never know, this place could work out for a few days."

"Not!" Lucas stated firmly.

"I never agreed with Harris to come here in the first place. And despite what he says, I definitely don't trust him or Arnold to stop Dalton from getting to me. The odds are not great and I want to be far from here before there is any chance of them finding out where I am."

"Nathan, he is planning to runaway," Kristin said in alarm, noting what everyone else had assumed from Lucas's comments. "We have to stop him. If he leaves, we may never know where he will go to."

"Your right Kristin, but you heard Lucas himself. He doesn't trust this Harris character, and at the moment he is the person in charge of Lucas's safety. I talked to Bill about getting this much information. If we do anything to help Lucas, it will have to be on an unofficial U.E.O. basis. They will severe all ties or knowledge if something goes wrong."

"I don't think you have to worry about that Nathan," Kristin said, looking around the room and seeing the nods of agreement from the other crew members in the room that they would do whatever it took to help keep Lucas safe.

"You have our support Captain," Commander Ford said on behalf of the others.

"We can't let him have a gun, Captain," Ben pointed out firmly. The thought of his teenage friend with a weapon in his hands scared him badly.

"Okay, but for now we will have to use this gadget to keep track of him. Until he looks like leaving. At the moment it is the only link we have to where he is. We don't even have an address." Bridger said.

* * *

There was a silence that was clearly visible between Lucas and his friend. Bridger and the crew could see that Lucas had something on the tip of his tongue to say, but either was having trouble finding the right words or wanted to avoid the subject altogether.

"I don't think there will be a coming back this time, Wolfy" Lucas said in a deliberately low tone of voice. He paused, waiting to see what reaction the statement would cause.

Wolfy, although aware that Lucas had disappeared in the past, could hear a conviction in his voice now that spoke the truth. There was something final about this whole little meeting, and he didn't like it one bit.

"I sort of gathered that," Wolfy said, partly in truth. "You have never been one to put down roots too long in any one place. Not since your parents anyway."

Lucas seemed to ignore the reference to his parents, a shadow briefly crossed his face, like a stain that he had heard the words. It passed just as quickly, the teenager putting up his usual mask of resilience.

"Will we see each other again, Lucas?" Wolfe asked in a soft voice, not wanting to say goodbye for fear that it would indeed be the last time they spoke.

"I don't know," Lucas responded. He got up from his chair, and began pacing around the room a little nervously.

"When you do go, the usual arrangements if you get into trouble?" Wolfy asked.

"Yes, for now. Unless it gets too close to call," Lucas answered. "The bus depot key in your letter box. If it is blue, then everything is okay and there will be a message in the locker on 24th street."

"What about if it is red?" Wolfy queried, knowing in the past that colour key had signalled trouble and that Lucas was in danger. It usually also indicated that Lucas had changed addresses again and his name because someone had discovered him.

Lucas looked directly at his friend. "If it is red this time Wolfy, I don't want you to come."

"You can't...," Wolfy began to say, but was cut off sharply before he could finish.

"Yes I can and I mean it this time. If there is a red key you need to forget that you ever knew me or anything about me. It will just my way of letting you know what has happened. Promise me!"

"You know I won't do that," Wolfy said jumping to his own feet and ready to defend his fierce loyalty to his friend. He would help if he could find a way how. He couldn't just pretend that Lucas ever existed. Their friendship went back to far for something like that to be asked.

"Promise me!" Lucas demanded, a little regretful at the tone of voice he was using.

"No!" Wolfy said, clearly seeing it was time to leave and let Lucas alone.

Wolfy gathered his few possessions he had carried in with him and headed towards the door, the two agents behind the mirror, still blissfully unaware of their being an argument between the two friends.

"Thanks for getting the stuff I asked for," Lucas asked, looking at the floor as he spoke and feeling like a ham for treating his friend so appallingly.

It was like with Bridger and the crew, he had to cut all ties and put some distance between them and him. It was the only way to keep them all safe. He couldn't be responsible for any of them coming to harm or having Dalton turn up on their door step.

"I guess saying goodbye sounds a little lame," Wolfy said, but with a genuine smile. No matter what Lucas thought, there would be always those around him that would stick by him, no matter what.

"See you around, maybe in the next life," Lucas responded. It was at that moment that Wolfy knew Lucas meant to leave tonight or tomorrow morning at the very latest.

"He thinks he has to do this all on his own," Kristin commented as she followed the exchange between the two teenagers. It wasn't hard to draw an inference from what had transpired between them and the barriers that Lucas had put between himself and Bridger. He was trying to protect himself from physical harm and the mental anguish at having to leave behind the only family he had come to rely on.

Lucas watched Wolfy leave with a heavy heart. He knew why he was doing this, but it didn't make it any easier to alienate himself. Sometimes just sucked totally.

"I better get ready to go and get a few hours sleep before I head out of here," Lucas said to himself, unaware that the SeaQuest crew could hear him.

* * *

Lucas spent the next half an hour, going through the contents of a small backpack that Wolfy had provided. He had two changes of clothes and a few other essential items to keep him until he got to his new destination. In his head he had no real idea of where the road would lead him, but he supposed in his heart, there was a way marked.

Lucas had his concentration squarely on the bag until he startled at a noise outside the door. Instinctively, he crouched away from any light source that was coming into the room. He crept a short distance towards the kitchen, still trying to listen for a clue to what the noise was.

He heard it again, footsteps coming towards him. He doubted the agents behind the mirror could hear them that far away and if it was danger headed his way, it would be too late if a bullet struck him down right before their eyes.

"Run, get out of there Lucas," Bridger shouted at the screen, felling helpless that they could only watch what was going on. He didn't have any address to go on to try and get there to help the teenager.

Kristin was already on the phone to Detective Harris, trying to alert the man to a potential threat that existed to Lucas. She managed to leave an urgent message on his pager and hoped he would respond as quickly as possible.

Lucas opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a long carving knife. He didn't have any other form of protection for himself. The gun he had organized through Wolfy was in the parked car downstairs. Handy but at the moment, not very convenient.

Creeping up to the door frame and holding the knife out in front of him, Lucas listened intently again as the footsteps neared even more. They were definitely headed his way, he just didn't know who they belonged to. It was unlikely that they belonged to Harris as he has only just left a little while ago.

Lucas tried to get the attention of the two agents behind the mirror, but had only managed to make a few waving hand gestures towards them. He couldn't be sure they had even noticed anything was wrong. He was hoping they would notice the knife in his hand and be alerted to his sense of unease.

The teenager now peered through the small peek hole in the centre of the door. He felt like a lamb waiting for the lion to come through the door. He needed to find out who the person or persons were before they got inside. If they were Dalton and his men, packing a piece, then there was little chance of the door stopping them from shooting through the door.

Just as he poised the knife ready to take on his would-be attacker, Lucas got a glimpse of who the footsteps belonged to. His arm fell by his side and he began to laugh a little, realising that the footsteps actually belonged to someone who lived in the building across the hall. Here he was, ready to carve them up like Jack the Ripper. Being cooped up in here was making him crazy.

Back aboard the SeaQuest, the crew also sighed in relief that the situation had not gotten out of control and that the threat seemed to be a false alarm. They had seen the feared look on Lucas's face though and knew the kid was running on pure adrenaline, not knowing who to trust and not who to. They understood why he was relying on himself to make it through a little more.

The two agents now saw the kid with the knife in his hand and caused Lucas to jump a little again as they ran out of their hiding place with guns poised towards the door. Lucas gave them a wry smile for their efforts and their tardiness.

"You alright kid?" the first agent said, clearly trying to hide the fact that they hadn't been paying close enough attention. They could see some of the nervousness still written on Lucas's face at the thought of somebody finding out his new whereabouts so soon.

"Thank you Beavis and Butthead," Lucas replied cheekily. "You're only what, a total of three hours late," he added, pretending to glance at his watch.

"Sorry...we sort of got distracted, that's all," the second agent said in their defence, putting their guns away but scanning the room and hallway to make sure the place was secure again. Harris would go mental when he found out about this blunder.

"And while you two were preoccupied, I could have ended up on the wrong end of a bullet," Lucas pointed out. "Let's try and keep me alive a longer than your first day on the job, huh?"

The two agents ignored the comments, knowing deep down that the teenager was right about the situation. They had to wait for the reaction from Harris now, which was not going to be pretty. They would have to make sure they kept up a better surveillance this time around.

Lucas made a conscious decision that false alarm or not, he had spent way too much time in this one spot already. It wasn't the time to be starting to take chances. He would be going now, as soon as he could manage to get away from their cameras.

"First things, first," Lucas said, grabbed a small implement that Wolfy had provided him with. The crew could see upon closer examination that it was a screwdriver. They watched as Lucas expertly began tampering with the wrist band on his arm. He couldn't afford to escape from here only to have Harris and his boys follow his every move because of the tracker.

It wasn't as easy as he thought though, and he had to conceal what he was doing from the two agents who were watching from behind the mirror. He made sure they could see him but were not taking much notice of what he was trying to do with his arm.

"Ah, got it," Lucas said in triumph, not too loud as to alert the agents though. He looked at the band for a moment, feeling a little ticked off at Harris and his underhanded tactics in the first place. Time to turn the tables. There was only one way to make them think he was still there in the apartment.

Very quietly and carefully, Lucas secured the tracking band around one of the metal pipes under the kitchen sink. Very ingenious he thought to himself and laughed at Harris's reaction when he finally found it. It would still give the agents behind the mirror a signal, but it would also give him the advantage of being able to slip out of the room undetected.

* * *

About an hour later, the SeaQuest crew together with Detective Harris, watched in awe and trepidation as they saw Lucas climbing down the fire escape of the apartment building where he had been put.

Harris had gotten Kristin's message and had gotten them on the way to the building. He had been informed by Bridger about the bungle that his two agents had made only a short time ago. He apologized for the mistake, but knew the frustration that they were feeling at having next to know input and not being able to do much to help Lucas.

"Sneaky little devil isn't he," Harris commented. He was just beginning to learn how intuitive and self-reliant Lucas was.

At the moment they all sat together in a darkened van to conceal their presence. If the teenager spotted any of them, he would disappear and they would have no trace of him to go on. They would have to be content enough to watch from a distance for a while and wait for the right time to intercept him.

"That must be the car that Lucas arranged to have left for him," Bridger commented as they saw a stray four wheel drive vehicle parked on its own in the car park of the apartment block.

"There is a gun in the glove compartment," he said, like Krieg not wanting to even contemplate the idea of Lucas handling a weapon.

"Don't worry Captain, we will just give him enough string to make him feel a little safer and then we can reel him in and take him somewhere else safer," Harris promised.

"I still don't like any of it," Commander Ford voiced. Something about this whole set up just sent alarm bells ringing to him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something not quite right.

They all inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas finally reached the sidewalk and started heading towards the car. The teenager kept looking all around, as if he felt someone breathing down his neck. He had the set of keys the crew had seen earlier in his hand and was quickly approaching the vehicle.

"There are no plates...," Harris noted before his sentence fell away from his mouth.

All in the vehicle watched in horror as the four wheel drive some 50 metres from Lucas now exploded in a ball of flame. The chassis was lifted from the ground and only a burnt out shell came crashing back down, spreading burning debris all over the car park.

"What the hell," Harris shouted, trying to get out of the vehicle in addition to everyone else, astounded at having seen the explosion right before them.

The force of the blast had knocked Lucas to the ground, and he seemed to be getting to his feet very gingerly. Bridger could see a partly torn shirt and singes on the rest of his clothes. He was about to run out to the teenager to check if he was alright and get him to medical attention.

At that very minute though, a second four wheel drive came speeding into the car park, pulling up beside Lucas. They could hear the driver inside shout at Lucas to get into the car. They couldn't see the driver due to the fire that was still erupting from the burning vehicle.

Rather than see Lucas climbing in, a hand from inside the second vehicle snaked out and grabbed a hold of Lucas's torn shirt, causing a cry of pain to come from the injured teenager. Before they had a chance to note anything else about the car or the driver, it sped off out of site, taking Lucas with it to an unknown destination.

to be continued...

Author Notes: The exploding car was similar to the one from Season Two in the show – I always envisaged something more happening in the episode _Everything Nice _and decided to write my own version.

I used Wolfy as Lucas's friend. I have used him in the past so decided to again. The idea of how he brought the stuff to Lucas was a bit lame, but anyway.

Who was the driver you ask? Well, that's the million dollar question. It could be a few possibilities. Meant to keep you guessing until the next chapter.

JULES


	5. Hiding Out

**RUN**

**by**** JULES**

**CHAPTER FIVE - HIDING OUT**

**Responses to Reviews:**

**Firstly – WOW – I am truly humbled to think so many are out there following this ****story****. Thank you all so much. I really appreciate everyone of them. **

**LIZ U – You are on the edge of your seat? – better buckle up then, because the action ****is**** about to start and the ride might be a bit bumpy along the way. Thanks so much ****for**** reading.**

**KATKNITS00 –Here is the next chapter you have been looking for. Things are just heating ****up**** for Lucas and everyone else on this wide merry-go-round. If you think you know the plot, ****then**** you don't know this author, the twists and turns are about to ensue even more.**

**KAS7 – You love my stories – Thanks so much – and I love that you love my stories. ****Questions?**** Questions? This chapter will only add to the list I am afraid. 100 Questions ****you**** say – well you just ask anytime you like, but hopefully the story will explain as it continues. ****Thank you for replying, don't worry that it wasn't sooner. Glad you did it at all.**

**DOLPHINOLOGY – Thanks so much for your review. Actually, I thrive on the fact ****that**** the crew see these different sides to Lucas. That's why I write the different sides of ****his**** personality in the first place. To think what their reaction would be and what situations ****would**** cause him to act like that. Sorry the update took so long. Hope this chapter makes ****up**** for it.**

**MJ – Wolfy is Nick – good memory – unlike the author sometimes. LOL What real hope would ****Dalton**** have of killing him, unless he was somehow able to sneak someone aboard Seaquest? then again.. I guess that would be a possibility ?? – This author is full of evil ideas for your questions. ****How would he do it ?? – Just read and see – corruption is everywhere and friends that you think ****you**** can trust can soon change. Don't worry, I have no intention of having ****Dalton**** sneak aboard the SeaQuest – got some other more active ideas in mind. Keep reading.**

**MINA – You feared it wasn't going to happen. Please let me say, that I am rather slow at ****updating****, but that is not because of not wanting to continue any of my stories. They will ****all**** be finished as I can. I have some rather invasive personal issues at present that prevent ****any**** decent writing time. Stark as the driver ?? - now you are giving me new evil ideas for ****future**** stories – but no – not her unfortunately. Keep reading – the driver is revealed very ****early**** on in this chapter. Yes, like I said to MJ – Wolfy is right – What most people don't ****realise**** is that Wolfy (Nick) and Lucas teamed up together before SeaQuest and I really ****like**** that friendship. Will continue to use him every now and then in my stories.**

**GOHANZGIRL – Where did he go ?? you ask – read on – lots more action to come. ****You like the new Lucas !! – lots more rebelliousness, independence to come. Lucas as ****you**** have not seen him in my stories before in this one. Some good, others, a little different ****than**** everyone is used to. Please keep reading.**

**ICEY – Good, your seatbelt is buckled – but the road just ended and the bridge is out. ****So hold on tight. Bridger is not very happy about Harris and his team's attempts to ****keep**** Lucas safe. Even had him say so for your benefit and the other readers. Hope you ****like**** cranky Bridger. !! LOL**

**CRIMSON AMBER – Continued …….. as fast as I can, I promise. I hate that I can't do ****it**** more often. ****Keep reading, Please. **

**A****nd**** now, on with the next chapter that all the readers deserve for their patience and ****continued**** support in reading this author's humble thoughts and ideas. I don't write. ****I just put words together that look good on the page LOL.**

**and**** now what happened next…………….**

Lucas felt himself land awkwardly in the passenger seat of the vehicle that had turned up out of nowhere. He had felt a hand grab his torn shirt and pull inside the cabin, everything after that was a little hazy in his memory.

As he slowly opened his eyes against the pain that wracked his shoulders, he found himself looking at the floor of the vehicle. Grimacing and gritting his teeth, he finally managed to sit on the seat, but he was hunched over and still didn't pay any heed who the driver was. It wasn't until a voice spoke to him that he recognized who his rescuer was.

"God, you look like hell," came the female voice belonging to Diana Lane. She could only steal brief glances towards the injured teenager as she manoeuvred the speeding vehicle around the burning debris that littered her path. The shell of the exploding vehicle was still burning fiercely as she looked out the rear view mirror.

"Feel like it too," came the honest answer from Lucas. He couldn't tell how badly he was hurt, and he had not dared to look up until this point, but judging from his shoulders, he must have burns and scrapes all over his back.

"I'll try and get you some help as soon as I can, Lucas. For now, we need to get out of here and somewhere safe. Where they won't find you," Diana said, but upon looking over at the teenager, it was difficult to tell if he had heard her words or not. His head was reclined against the door, his eyes closed and his shirt stained in blood in a number of places.

For the next ten minutes, Diana used the back streets and side roads as best she could to make sure that they were not being followed. She could see that Lucas needed medical attention soon, and she had to grapple with herself to think what to do.

Whilst Diana and Lucas sped away out of sight into the darkness, Harris, Bridger and the rest of the crew that had viewed the entire explosion, were standing outside their vehicle. Bridger had wanted to race after the unknown vehicle before they lost all trace of Lucas.

* * *

Harris had objected as first, until Bridger's angry persuasion eventually convinced him. By the time he came to that decision, the mystery vehicle, along with Lucas inside, was well out of sight.

Bridger felt like punching the side of Harris's vehicle with his own clenched fist, "Now we have no idea where he is. No thanks to you and your incompetent team," he accused.

"We did everything we could to keep track of him," Harris tried to say in the defence of his team and their efforts to keep tabs on Lucas's movements. He knew at the end of the day that no explanation was going to be good enough for the Captain. Now they had a huge problem on their hands.

A missing witness. The only witness capable of putting Johnny Dalton out of operation for good.

"This is where me and my team, take over," Bridger hissed at Harris. "You may tag along if you think it will be of any benefit, but from now on, I am calling the shots."

Harris was about to voice protest at the unorthodox methods that Bridger might introduce over the top of his own carefully, well laid out, but failed plans. "But………..," he began to say when he was instantly cut off before the sentence even began.

"But nothing, Mr Harris. No thanks to you, now my son and someone who this crew respects and cares for very much, is out on the streets of this city, without the protection that you and your team promised us," he said, holding back none of the sarcasm that dripped from his words.

"Lucas is eighteen years old. Eighteen. I don't care who you think you and your organisation are, but I am not about to let someone like this Dalton take his life for something that he witnessed years ago."

"He would probably contact you first anyway," Harris interjected, trying to cover his own mistakes without making it obvious.

"Damn right he will," Bridger said and turned sharply away from the man and towards his own crew, ready to head back to the SeaQuest and begin the search for Lucas.

"Ready, Commander Ford?" he asked with determination.

"When you are, Captain," Ford answered very military-like. The black man's expression was stern, but giving the impression that he and the crew would be behind their superior officer one hundred percent. Not because he was above them all in rank, like Harris liked to continually remind his own men. But because they respected him on a level that people like Harris could never expect to reach in their careers. And most importantly, because they all cared and loved Lucas.

Up until now he had not known that Bridger had a bite to match the bark that he had already been subjected to earlier when he removed Lucas from the SeaQuest. The man had pulled a few political strings higher up, but Harris had not expected the pushing to go further than that.

Harris gave a few instructions to his team, actually relieved that he wouldn't have to clean up the mess left behind by the explosion. Someone would hand him a report within the week and then he could find a cause to blame on the missing teenager being able to slip passed his best security system.

Harris had left his unwilling partner, Christopher Arnold in charge of the explosion investigation. Arnold had looked less than impressed, but with Harris being the puppeteer, he had little choice but to complete the work that Harris didn't want to do himself. Arnold scowled at the back of Harris as he walked away. Sometimes he just hated that man, partner or not.

Harris went with Bridger and the crew back to the SeaQuest. Bridger had the authority to grant boarding permission to anyone, this he begrudgingly did for Harris. Merely for the fact that Harris knew more about the murder of Lucas's parents, the witness protection system and Johnny Dalton.

Harris followed Commander Ford above the SeaQuest, having heard the rumours of her glory and the missions they had encountered. How this vessel was the pride of the U.E.O. fleet. Looking at the interior and the impressive array of equipment throughout the corridors, he couldn't help but agree with the gossip.

"If you will step this way, Mr Harris," Ford said, inviting the agent onto the Bridge.

If Harris had been impressed by the SeaQuest so far since boarding, then the Bridge and her display of work stations and sophisticated electronic systems just blew him away. He lightly ran his hand along the edge of one of the consoles, not even pretending that he had the first idea about what any of these computers or screens did.

"Impressive, isn't she?" Ford said, hiding a slight smile at the man's expression of awe, "If you would like to take a seat, the crew will take their assigned positions and we will begin working out how to find Lucas."

Harris was gestured towards a visitors chair set up not too far from the Captain's own station. He didn't say anything, but his gaze was concentrated on the screens around the room as each crew member took up their post, and began the routine pre-start system checks.

"Simply amazing," was the only two words Harris had managed since being invited onto the Bridge.

"Your sitting in Lucas's seat," Bridger informed him, and then turned his head, as if to talk to one of the crew. There was a smirk there, though, as he saw Harris look at the chair he was seated on and realise that this was all part of Bridger's game.

Exactly what game he was being subjected too yet, Harris didn't quite know. What he did know was that Bridger and the other crew were not going to allow him to forget easily that Lucas was now lost in a large expanse of city because of his incompetence and.

They all knew that the target Harris sought was Dalton, and they were not pleased with his attempts to use Lucas as the bait to draw the wanted criminal out into the open to arrest. Lucas was the pawn at his disposal and he had little regard for how the teenager was affected mentally, emotionally or physically by this misuse of trust.

Harris had called the system they used "witness protection", but the only one being protected at the moment was Johnny Dalton. Whilst Lucas was now somewhere in the city, hurt and alone.

Bridger had seen the torn shirt from the blast and knew that Lucas was carrying some injuries at least. It ate away at him not being able to know the extent of them or to help his son when Lucas needed it the most.

"Okay people, we are all worried about Lucas. We need to get our heads together and brain storm about where he might have gone since we left the car park." Bridger didn't want to voice out loud the fact that it looked as though he had been forcibly dragged into the car after the explosion.

"Captain, I will bring up a street map of the city," Lieutenant Tim O'Neill offered, trying to get everyone working as a team. After a few seconds, he found the map he was looking for, fulling graphed out into city grids and then referenced for easy identification.

"Very nice, Mr O'Neill," Bridger said with pride. "Put it up on the main screen please, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Captain," Tim voiced respectfully and hit the corresponding codes on his console to do just that. He was pleased to see the image transferred from his own work station to the full screen for the whole Bridge to see.

Bridger walked up to the screen, casting a shadow partially over the large text, but he used an index finger to explain what he was looking at. "See, this is where we were parked. This is the street and that's the vacant car park that Lucas was walking towards."

Harris wanted to voice a few choice comments, like although he could see what they were trying to do, it was all a waste of time. If Lucas wanted to disappear without being found, the teenager had done this sort of thing for a long time and was capable of doing so again.

And just as equally, if Dalton wanted to take the trouble in finding Lucas, which no doubt he would, then he had the city contacts and the underground connections too. The agent kept his thoughts to himself though as he watched the crew come up with rough theories about where they thought Lucas might have gone to.

Finally, the confined space of the Bridge was just too much to bear and the fact that he was being kept out of the conversation caused him to point out their mistakes.

"This is all very nice and pretty, Captain," Harris said, getting off the chair and voicing his doubts about their ideas.

"But, you have no idea of knowing where Lucas went to. This is a map of the city, but if you look close enough, there could be a hundred places he could hide, or be hidden in and you wouldn't even know it."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing, Harris," Bridger said, his stance challenging and his posture giving an air of superiority. "I won't let Lucas come to harm if I can help him."

"We have to know who that vehicle belonged to," Harris said, knowing that it was futile to try and get him or anybody else in the room to listen unless he had a plausible suggestion worth considering.

"There were no plates, but we have to try and come up with an owner and then we might be closer to know who was in the vehicle with Lucas."

"Give Mr Harris a phone line out, please, Commander," Bridger said, not giving the agent an inch to dictate the plan of attack. "There you are Mr Harris. I am sure you have the proper connections in that department. Make the calls!"

Harris looked at Bridger for a moment, ready to resign any further help in this matter, or at least any more than he was forced to do as part of his job. But looking about the room, he couldn't help but feel the piercing, accusing gazes of the crew. He could see they were looking for answers to questions that they had about Lucas's whereabouts.

Sighing audibly in defeat, Harris turned towards Commander Ford, "Dial 1477 3426, that should get me to the Department of Motor Vehicles in this area. They are the best source of finding that vehicle, if we can find it at all."

Satisfied enough to see Harris at least attempting to do something, Bridger returned his attention to the crew members he had already been talking too. They were leaving nothing to chance and would not stop searching for Lucas. They knew he was out there somewhere, all they had to do was find him.

* * *

Whilst Bridger, together with Harris and the SeaQuest crew worked on finding him, Lucas was still curled up on the seat of Diana Lane's vehicle as it headed down one more street to an unknown destination.

Diana had tried the best she could to monitor the withdrawn teenager as she drove. She didn't know whether the forced silence within the cabin was due to the pain he was feeling from the injuries he had sustained in the explosion. Or if it was memories and running from his past that prevented him wanting to talk.

Every now and then, she would hear a soft wince of pain, as he moved slightly and tried to find a more comfortable position in a seat that he had already declared, cumbersome and awkward. During the short periods of time she was able to see his eyes open, they remained concentrated on the surrounding neighbourhood as they passed through street after street.

Diana had used a more complicated route to travel down, but it was in case they were being followed. She had not seen any indication as such so far, but still couldn't rule out the possibility. With people like Johnny Dalton, there was no way of really knowing when your enemy would strike next.

Diana turned her thoughts back to her driving as she turned what she deemed would be one last corner for the night. She hadn't told Lucas her plan, but for now, until she had a chance to see to his injuries and come up with a more suitable place to keep Lucas safe, the only place she could think of was her own apartment.

That plan soon become unravelled though as she drove down the road and then spotted, not one, but two unmarked vehicles. She could clearly see that they had the building staked out. One on the left side of the road, the second vehicle a few metres down the road on the right hand side.

Between them, their undisclosed occupants would be able to monitor all traffic, both vehicles and pedestrians that entered or exited the street.

"God damn it!" Diana said out loud in frustrated as she attempted to turn her car around before they could be spotted. She guessed that the vehicles had been put in place by Harris, and wasn't overly surprised to see them pull off the kerb and begin to tail her and Lucas.

Obviously, they had been doing their homework, but that didn't help the fact that now they had no where to go.

Diana's exclamation of frustration had alerted Lucas to the fact that something was wrong. He sat up too quickly, immediately being reminded of his injuries and gritting his teeth at the pain until it abated to a more tolerable level.

"Well, there goes the one and only plan that I had," Diana said in disgust. On the inside, she was truly beginning to panic. Her place had been the only one that she considered taking Lucas too with any confidence that they would be safe for a few hours. Now, she had no idea where they were going to go.

"What about plan B?" Lucas asked, his voice barely above a whisper and Diana could tell that the pain was getting worse.

"That was plan B," Diana responded ruefully. "Right now, we have to be more concerned about these fellows behind us and losing them. After that, I will be willing to listen to anything you have to offer."

Lucas turned around briefly to glance back out the rear window of the vehicle, noticing a black sedan tailing close behind. He couldn't identify the driver or passenger as friend or foe, and at the moment, his body didn't really care. He turned towards the front again, and resumed his curled up position on the passenger seat as the pain began to grow once more.

Diana stepped on the gas pedal a little more, speeding up as much as she dared, without being reckless. She was mindful that Lucas was grimacing with every unseen bump on the roadway.

As the speed of her vehicle increased, so to did that of the vehicle in pursuit. There was nothing for, if they were going to make a break for it and lose the tail, she was going to have to do something a little more drastic. They were going to have to make a break for it and get away, and somehow prevent the vehicle behind from following.

"Lucas?" Diana asked cautiously, seeing that the teenager's eyes were closed once more.

"Hmmm," came the reply, Lucas not bothering to lift his head from leaning against the window. "Is your seatbelt on?" she asked, swallowing nervously thinking about what she was about to do.

Lucas looked up at her, a fearful look on his face, already having understood that she intended to take them into a new level of peril and danger. Without saying a word, but nodding his head in acknowledgement, he reached up, groaning as his shoulder protested, and secured the black restraint across his chest. His hands began to grip the seat as he waited in anticipation for the hellish ride to begin.

Without further warning, Lucas and Diana found themselves forced against the back of the seats as the car accelerated rapidly. Diana fought to control the vehicle and keep it on course, fearing that too much speed would cause the vehicle to veer off the road and possibly flip or roll over.

If they slowed down too much, then the vehicle in pursuit behind them, would quickly match their pace and they would be in danger of being nudged off the roadway, with the other vehicle being as a battering ram. From the rear view mirror, Diana could see that her plan had worked to some degree and that the vehicle tailing them was having difficulty in matching their acceleration.

Lucas tried hard not to groan out loud as the speed of the vehicle forced his injured back and shoulders back painfully against he passenger seat. The inertia was great enough for him to have to fight and pull his body away from the seat. Lucas had been concentrating on battling the pain too much to notice what Diana was about to do until he felt himself and the vehicle spinning around 180 degrees.

Diana had watched and calculated when to make her risky move. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel so tight, her knuckles had turned white, but she did not decrease her concentration long enough to adjust her hands. The results could have been disastrous for her and Lucas, if not deadly.

She began to decrease the speed of her vehicle, just a little, watching the approaching vehicle from behind in the driver's side mirror. Without warning and as the black sedan was almost level, she spun the car around, causing the black sedan to swerve dramatically to avoid a possible collision.

Pulling down on the steering wheel hard, she now spun the car around to face the opposite direction. She had no time to warn her passenger of her plan, and rued the further pain and discomfort she saw assail Lucas, causing the teenager's features to pale.

"Guess they never expected that, huh?" Diana said, with an air of confidence in her voice. But deep down inside, she knew that she had taken a mighty risk with her life and Lucas's. The teenager fought to breathe normally again, and didn't trust his voice in agreeing with her statement, preferring to keep his eyes on the road ahead. They were headed back in the direction they had just come from.

'Where to now, Lane?' she asked herself, watching as Lucas grimaced again, but turned his face towards the passenger side window so she wouldn't see. She knew that his pain was still great and she would have to get him help soon.

After a further half an hour of trying to figure out what to do, and her concern for Lucas growing each time she glanced back towards him, Diana knew that unusual times called for unusual methods being used. No doubt she would need to use a great many of her unknown or least famous talents as a journalist to keep Lucas safe and get him some medical attention.

Lucas had fallen into a light doze, not able to sleep properly due to the deep ache that had settled across his shoulders and own his back. He barely acknowledged the bright lights of the motel that shone through the windscreen as Diane pulled the car up out the front reception.

It wasn't your usual first class accommodations she had to admit, but the place looked clean and maintained. She had stayed here on one other occasion in the past when she had been on assignment. For tonight, or at least until she could find a more suitable place to hide Lucas, it would be their home.

Diana alighted from her vehicle, not wanting to disturb Lucas until it everything was in place and it became absolutely necessary. With the injuries she suspected he carried, it was better that he be moved once, and only once. She had a few contacts she could make to friends who were trained in first aid and medical assistance.

One of those would be the first she would call once she had secured a room. After that, she would need to come up with a plan to contact Lucas's own family and friends, judging them to be the best possible people to help protect Lucas instead of agents Arnold and Harris.

Ten minutes after entering the building, Diana returned to the vehicle with a key in hand. She had been given the third degree about who she was and what her purpose was for staying there, but she had come up with a plausible idea and creative enough story that should work for a few days.

She had asked for a larger room, telling the owner that her kid brother was in the car with her. The man had tried to see out to the vehicle. He had seen the blond head of a teenager, which he assumed was the kid brother, but was too far away to notice anything specific about him.

The kid looked to be asleep, but he guessed that they had travelled some distance that day and that wasn't entirely unusual. Motels were usually were people stopped when travelling on further.

Diana had erred on the side of caution and paid three days advance on the room. If they didn't stay that long, then she didn't begrudge spending a few extra dollars on keeping Lucas safe. That was why she was doing this all in the first place, something she should have done a long time ago.

After getting her key and being informed of the most ridiculous house rules she had heard yet for motel, Diana requested some fresh linen, and some extra towels, Lucas's injuries in the back of her mind and her main priority. She also requested some food, knowing that neither of them had eaten for a few hours. Lucas probably wouldn't feel hungry, but they needed to keep on their toes for any signs of Dalton and his men or Harris and his cronies.

She looked over at Lucas as she got into the driver's seat, it didn't look as though he had moved a muscle since she had gone inside. She didn't know whether that was a good sign or a bad one. It might mean he was resting and conserving his energy. It might also mean that the injuries were more severe than she first assumed.

Diana quickly put the key into the ignition and drove the few metres to their assigned room. She unlocked the door to the motel room first, and then came back to the vehicle for Lucas. She lightly tapped on the window first, trying to get Lucas to wake a little. It took more than one attempt, and the kid looked like hell. She eased open the door, mindful that he was almost falling out of the vehicle, rather than climbing out under his own steam.

"Hang on Lucas, I will get you inside," she said, carefully wrapping an arm about his slim waist and supporting the majority of his weight against herself. Lucas's head lolled towards his chest and any attempts from him to lift it proved unsuccessful, his hair falling over his forehead and his posture sagging even further.

Lucas moaned at the pain that was caused by Diana's arm around him, but he could do nothing but allow himself to be helped into the room. As soon as they were inside, she closed the door with her foot, before helping the exhausted teenager to lie down on one of the beds in the room.

When she stood up and looked around, she was pleased with what she saw. The room was self-contained, so they had their own toilet and bathroom. The furnishings were quite nice, and the furniture sparse, but enough to accommodate them for a few days. There was two beds, one double and a single. She had meant the single one for Lucas, but after helping him from the car, she didn't have the heart to deny him a little comfort.

A moan escaped Lucas's lips, bringing her attention back to him as he lay sprawled across the bed, just as he had fallen. He had no energy to roll over further than his stomach, thankful at least that he was not lying on his back. It was only now, under the lighting of the room, that Diane was fully able to see the injuries the teenager had sustained from the blast.

Diana knew instantly that any medical attention was above her skill level. Lucas would need someone with a little more knowledge than first aid. For a few brief moments, she left the teenager on the bed, and went back to the car outside to gather up the linen she had been given at the reception desk.

From the rear of the car Lane also withdrew a suitcase that was always there. She had put it there years ago and it was rarely used. But there had been at least three occasions like tonight, where she had been truly grateful for keeping it there. She closed the door to the motel room behind herself once more, noting again that there was little change in Lucas's position on the bed.

She pulled out her wallet and then a card and telephone number that Bridger had given her only a day or so ago. She had never really intended to use it, accepting it purely as a matter of courtesy. She was aware that any phone calls to Bridger might be being traced by Harris.

Looking back at Lucas, she new there was little choice but to get his friends involved. She could protect him as best she could for now, but Dalton had long fingers and rumours would soon reach his ears about Lucas's escape from Harris's protective custody and that he was back on the streets again all alone.

Diana now dialled the first of two calls she would make tonight, the first being to a long time friend whom owed a favour. She knew the debt would now be more than paid in full, but he was the only one she could think of to help Lucas with his injuries and that would keep their whereabouts a secret.

"Come on, pick up," Diana said as the phone began to ring longer than she wanted it to. Luck seemed to prevail as a male voice answered the call and talked briefly to her.

"I need you to come down here as soon as you can. This is for me. He is only eighteen and needs your skills. Bring whatever you have with you," she informed him, terminating the call after giving him vague directions of the motel and a room number.

The second call she made was even shorter. Diana had no idea that Harris was currently in the company of the SeaQuest crew. And she knew that any call would be traced, if it continued long enough to track her.

Her plan was to only remain on for a brief moment, long enough hopefully for Lucas's friends to note where the call was coming from, but short enough so that Harris couldn't trace it anywhere. She had to be confident that Bridger doubted Harris's abilities to help Lucas as much as she did and that the Captain wouldn't reveal their current whereabouts to the agent.

* * *

Tim O'Neill, noted an incoming signal on his headset. He was about to tell the Captain when the signal ended abruptly. "Captain, I ………," was all he managed to say before his headset was silent again.

"What was that, Lieutenant?" Bridger asked, noting the confused look on Tim's face. Bridger walked calmly over to Tim, but bent down slightly to whisper something to the communications officer. Harris could be seen scowling in the background, not liking the idea that he was being kept out of the conversation.

"I thought I had a call, Captain," Tim whispered. "But then it just ended. I wasn't there long enough to trace where it was coming from. Maybe if I run one of Lucas's tracking programs on the signal we might pick up who it was."

Something in Tim's voice convinced Bridger that O'Neill suspected the call to be important and about Lucas. It sounded a little odd that the call had ended so abruptly, especially if it was someone trying to help them find Lucas. But he wasn't about to give up or ignore any clue that might come their way, no matter how insignificant or trivial it seemed.

"Send it on a secure link to my quarters, while the program runs. That way we might be able keep it a little more secret," Bridger responded. Tim O'Neill nodded his head at the request.

"What was that all about, Captain?" Harris asked, knowing he probably wasn't going to get a truthful answer.

"Sorry, Mr Harris. This is a U.E.O. sanctioned vessel. Information from this Bridge is classified," he stated, inwardly happy that he was in control of trying to find Lucas. Harris had had his turn and made a grave mistake in underestimating Lucas and the crew.

Harris sat down on the chair again, clearly not happy, but knowing that there was very little room for argument at this point in time. He was sitting on the edge of trouble himself with a lost protected witness and a crime boss still without conviction. He would just have to bide his time a little more until some fresh leads on the missing teenager surfaced.

Half an hour after Harris had left the SeaQuest, informing Captain Bridger that he would be in contact as much as he could. He had to appear like he was making some efforts to find the kid, and not having the mighty U.E.O. or Captain Bridger and the SeaQuest crew to hold his hand and give the instructions.

Bridger and Tim immediately went to tracing the call that had been received and then suddenly lost. Tim had already replayed it back to the Bridge crew a few times, trying to work out what it was they were hearing. It did sound like a telephone call, but it ended so abruptly that they couldn't be sure.

"Any ideas of where it came from, or by whom, Mr O'Neill?" Bridger asked as the replay was heard another time.

"No, sorry Captain. Maybe it is Lucas trying to call and then gets spooked," he offered, thinking of the most plausible scenario. It was very believable that Lucas could be the caller. They had no idea about what happened to him after being dragged into the four wheel drive.

"Can you tell where it came from?" Bridger asked, wanting to cling to hope that this was indeed a lead that would help him find Lucas.

"I couldn't get an exact location, but it definitely came from about here," Tim said as he displayed the street map once more on the main screen and pointed to an area that included the motel that Diana and Lucas were currently staying in.

"Its not much, but at least a start," Tim said, not wanting to sound negative about what little they had to go on. "We could do some scouting around and see what turns up?"

"Thanks, Tim, I appreciate what you are offering to do. I appreciate you all helping me out and especially Lucas. But for now, I want to stay close to here in case Lucas does try and make contact.

He doesn't have any money on him that I am aware of, though he would have bank accounts he could access. He has very little clothing or food with him when we last saw him. We have to hope and pray that he looks to us and home as his safety net."

* * *

Back at the motel, Diana got up from the chair she had been occupying to answer the light knock at the door. She peeked through the curtain first to make sure that it was who she was expecting, and then ushered her contact into the room with haste before anyone got suspicious.

"Thank you for coming," she said with genuine relief. Lucas injuries needed to be seen to without further delays. "I am not comfortable with this, Diana, but I will do it for you," the man said. He glanced over towards the bed where Lucas lay, assuming that the young man was his patient.

"I know you are not, and I appreciate it," Diana said, giving the man a brief embrace. Once upon a time, those arms had held her much more securely and there had been lots of promises made about the future. Now, they were all just broken dreams, but they had parted upon mutual agreement and were still very close friends.

"How has he been?" the man asked, putting down the bag he had brought with him, concealed under his coat. He set it aside and allowed his hands to do the assessment first. He could see the blood-stained and torn shirt Lucas still wore. That would have to be removed, but not without discomfort to the young man.

"Since the explosion. I guess some of the glass from the windows tore him up a little more than he first noticed," Diana commented. "Steve, what are you going to do?"

"I am going to put him under a light sedation first. It would cause him a great deal of pain to remove that shirt with him still conscious, even if he appears half asleep. There could be bits of cloth or dirt driven into the wounds or maybe both. They will need to be cleaned out and then stitched.

Diana seemed shocked at the idea that Lucas might need to have stitches, but knew that Steve was a competent medical physician and would help the injured teenager as much as possible.

"Let's get this over and done with," Steve suggested, sterilising his hands first and then preparing the sedating injection.

While Steve prepared what he needed to patch Lucas up, Diane went about removing the teenager's sneakers. Lucas seemed to be sleeping quite soundly, until Steve moved his hand across his forehead to check for signs of a fever.

He noted that there was warmth present to the skin, but it was relatively minor at this stage. Not uncommon after the injuries had gone a considerable time without being treated. He would soon remedy the boy's slight temperature.

Lucas tried to turn over as he felt someone holding his arm. His mind was a bit confused about what was happening, and he couldn't remember where he was. He tried to swat at the person like an annoying fly, but his hand was caught by a softer one and held firmly to prevent him wrenching it free.

This action seemed to bring him a littler more alert, and then without warning, he felt a distinct stinging sensation to his upper right arm. He was about to form words of protest when a grey fog seemed to grow over him. His body grew heavy and his limbs felt weighed down. Another moment and he collapsed back onto the bed again, unconscious and deeply under the effects of the sedative.

Whilst Steve did what he could for Lucas, Diana took the short opportunity to go to the shops a few miles down the road, knowing that Lucas would need some extra clothes after the remains of his shirt had been discarded in the trash bin. The teenager had another set in the backpack that he had carried with him, but that was all.

If she wasn't at the motel, she didn't have to see Steve meticulously stitching up the wounds in Lucas's back and shoulders. She cared about him, and didn't realise until now just how much she did care. A few years ago he had just been some kid with a tragic event haunting him from place to place. A story to add to the feathers in her journalism cap. But now, with his life in danger and her own as well, she promised herself that she wouldn't let Dalton or his men get their hands on him.

It was on the way back to the motel after getting some new clothes for Lucas that she spotted a potential rendezvous place for her idea about how to reunite Lucas and his family without the risk of Dalton or Harris interrupting the party. Once Lucas was back with those who loved him, then they could work on a more permanent arrangement for keeping him safe.

Diana remembered the name of the bar and the phone number. It was far enough from town but still close enough to the motel to suit their needs. As she drove back, she formulated the plan further in her head and worked on how to get another message to the SeaQuest crew about meeting her and Lucas there. It would have to be carefully planned and executed and they had to ensure that Dalton didn't find out about Lucas being present.

Diana sighed in relief as she closed the door to the motel room behind her. She had been in situations before where secrecy and deception were called for. Sneaking around like this with an injured teenager and getting her friends involved with notorious criminal figures was not her idea of a fun time.

Steve, her doctor friend was just clearing things away when she walked over to the bed. There was a number of pieces of gauze in a dish, stained with blood, no doubt Lucas's.

Seeing it there like that and looking down at the serene handsome features of the young man, she couldn't help but sense a taste of reality that was a hard pillow to swallow.

"Almost done," Steve offered as he saw her looking at Lucas who was still sedated on the bed. "He will sleep for a while. Don't let him get up and move around a lot at first or he will pull those stitches. I will leave you some pain medication, but go easy on it. Only use it when he needs it. He is going to be stiff and sore for a couple of weeks and putting on a shirt might prove difficult for the next few days."

"We will manage as best we can, I suppose," Diana said absentmindedly, her thoughts along a different path.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Diane?" Steve asked, knowing that it wasn't his business to pry. He shouldn't have even agreed to come and help, but he did. And there was something gnawing him that said she was getting into something way above her head.

"It's a little hard to explain," Diana said, a small laugh or irony of laughter on the tip of her tongue that was not heard. "I am not sure how much of it you would believe anyway," she added in truthfulness.

"Is there anything I can do?" Steve asked, not really knowing what other form of assistance he could give. He didn't even know what was going on despite Diane being involved, he wasn't so sure he really wanted to know the full details.

It wasn't until Steve had made the offer that Diana had even mulled the idea over in her head of using him further. Now that she thought about it a little longer, maybe he could be of more help. He could be the one to tip of the SeaQuest crew about where she intended the meeting to take place. That way, he was an anonymous third party, and Harris would be none the wiser.

Steve almost wanted to take a step back in retreat, watching the expression change on the woman's face as she formulated a plan of attack in her head. He had made the offer, and stood by it, but was dubious about what role his assistance would come in.

* * *

Half an hour later, the doctor left the motel room after giving Diana the medication he promised to leave and a supply of fresh bandages and gauze pads. He had given brief instructions on the medications and their dosages for someone of Lucas's age and build.

Diana ate a sparse meal, hoping that Lucas might stir and be able to have something as well. To her disappointment he did not wake from the sedation, but she was relieved that he was not in any pain at the moment. She had remembered his soft winces of masked pain and discomfort on the way here and the way he had collapsed out of the vehicle, unable to make but a few stumbled steps and that was with a lot help.

While Diana and Lucas slept that night in the out of the way motel, Steve completed the final task of his involvement. He used a internet café with a bogus username, but with it he wrote a personal note to Captain Nathan Hale Bridger of the SeaQuest.

Diana had been able to get the address from the card Bridger had given to her.

She didn't know much about this Captain Bridger or the special connection that he shared with Lucas. She had not been able to follow Lucas's life since she lost contact a few years ago until now, but the teenager wasn't one to make acquaintances on the spur of the moment.

The email was brief and contained only the bare essential details:

**Bridger**

**Lucas to meet you at the "Gruff and Griff"**

**7.30pm**** tomorrow night**

**Friend.**

He made sure that it was marked priority and had no way of tracing who the author was. Usually he wasn't one to be involved in sending anonymous messages to others, but he made an exception on this one occasion.

Steve had to hope for Diana's sake and the young man that was in her care, that the message would be enough to help her sort out the mess she was currently in. Once sending the email, he drove away in his car wondering about how their relationship had gone sour and why it took something like this for him to realise what he had been missing in his life all this time.

On board the SeaQuest, a small red envelope appeared on Bridger's screen. It was very late at night and the recipient of the mail was currently sleeping. The holographic image that Lucas had designed for him deemed it important enough to wake him.

"Uh, do you have any idea what time it is?" Bridger protested, knowing it had only been a few hours since going to bed in the first place. He and the senior crew had been up trying to come up with a plausible search plan for finding Lucas. With no more concrete leads to go on, they had all retired for a few hours rest, hoping that a new day would bring new ideas and a new sense of hope that he would be found safe soon.

"I apologize Nathan for the disturbance, but I assessed this incoming message and deemed it most important," the image said without flickering in emotion.

Sometimes Nathan hated the holographic projection unit that Lucas had installed in his first year on the boat. He had never asked for it to be there and he could think of a few occasions when it had brought him physical pain, like when they had found that haunted ship and he had been hurtled across the room like a rag doll by an apparition.

"Okay, just tell me what it is?" Nathan said, unable to hide the fatigue in his voice. He was in a cranky mood, but lack of sleep over Lucas's disappearance was the primary cause. The message sent by Diana was displayed for Bridger to read himself. He had still been lying down on his bunk when he first started reading the message, but sat bolt right up as he soon as he saw Lucas's name mentioned.

A few more minutes after reading the message again for a fourth time, Bridger was ready in the ward room, waiting for Westphalen and the other crew members he had summoned to show them the piece of new that they had been desperately trying to find.

Upon entering the room with various groans about the hour of the day, especially echoed by Ben Krieg who had been just as worried as Bridger and Kristen about Lucas's disappearance. They all stopped their words of protest to read the message that he gestured to on the video screen on the back wall.

"That's great, Captain," Krieg offered almost before he had finished reading the whole message. "When do we go and get him?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Now wait just a minute, Ben," Bridger said, holding up a hand to hold the supply back a little. "I am just as eager as you, believe me. But we have to do this right the first time. We can't risk something going wrong and putting Lucas's life in further danger," he warned.

Ben slumped into a nearby chair, knowing that the Captain was right, but still now liking that they had to wait any length of time. Enough time had already been wasted and they were still no closer to knowing where Lucas was and what had happened to him after the car explosion.

"Commander Ford," Bridger said, addressing the dark-skinner officer, "this gives a window of about 12 hours to organize the equipment and propose a plan before we have to meet with Lucas. I don't want anything to chance. Once we have formulated a fail proof plan, then we can let Harris know about Lucas's rendezvous. We won't tell him of any backup we are going to provide."

"I don't like the idea that he and his team have to be involved at all," Krieg said with distrust clearly in his voice.

"I don't either, Ben," Bridger reassured his Lieutenant. "But we can't just tell him anything, that will only arouse his suspicion even more. We give him just a little bit of information and carry out the majority of the rescue mission ourselves. That way we will know exactly who we are dealing with."

Ben nodded his head and moved in closer to the group of crew members that were gathered. They would formulate the best plan possible for rescuing Lucas and making sure that he was not placed in the protective custody of Harris or the like again.

* * *

By dawn's early light, all in the motel room was quiet. The occupants inside were sleeping as an unmarked sedan now pulled up on the opposite side of the road and viewed the four wheel drive from a distance.

"Dalton, are you there?" the voice asked as he scanned the motel and surrounding car park, taking in as much detail as possible.

"Yes, report."

"I found that woman's car. It matches her registration number. They are staying in some motel on the outskirts of town. Do you want me to move in now?"

"No, no, hold there for a while. We might have the rabbit in our sight, but I don't want to scare him away just yet. We need to plan this out a little. I want to try and get him away from that reporter and then get him," Dalton said to his henchman.

"So what else do you want me to do now?"

"Take note of some of the area and find somewhere to lay low for the rest of the day. I want you to monitor everything that happens there today and report back to me as it happens. We will make a move later tonight, when there is little chance of us being foiled in grabbing him."

"Will do. I will keep in contact," the man said and then ended the communication link between himself and Dalton. Now he drove around and parked a little further down the road, but on the same side of the motel. From where he was, no suspicious would be drawn immediately to his presence and he could see the vehicle in question.

He would know if anyone came or went from the motel. He just had to keep tabs on the blond teenager and report back to Dalton.

* * *

Inside the motel, Diane Lana awoke with a start. Exactly when she had fallen asleep she couldn't remember. But judging from the dryness in her mouth, it must have been a few hours ago.

As she drank a cold glass of water from the fridge, she looked over at the bed and noted that the patient had been somewhat restless during the night. The blankets that had covered him earlier in the night were now tangled around his ankles and the pillows were strewn in a number of directions.

Diana looked over at the clock and noted it only read 7.00am. A little too early to be waking Lucas yet, and she needed to make sure he rested as much as possible today if they were going to make it to the "Gruff and Griff" bar later on that evening to meet up with the SeaQuest crew.

She picked up the blankets and was about to drape them over the young man's shoulders when she paused for a minute. Lightly running her hand over his forehead, she felt the slight sheen of sweat that she had seen. Lucas was developing a low grade fever due to the stitches.

Steve had told her to be careful about infection and had prescribed Lucas a course of antibiotics for the next week to make sure that the cuts in his back remained clear and began to heal.

Upon feeling again, the fever was not too high. she draped the blankets over his legs and waist, then left to go into the bathroom and find a cloth. She found a small hand towel and soaked it in cool water and then returned and draped the folded towel over Lucas's warm forehead.

Up until now, Lucas had shown no sign of stirring under her administrations, but with the coolness of the cloth, came a slight groan from his lips. The teenager's eyelids flickered and he tried to open his eyes, but the effort was too great and his head lolled back to the side as he fell into a restless doze.

Diana fussed with the blankets a little more and readjusted the cloth on his forehead, knowing that her nursing skills left a lot to be desired, if not non-existent at all. She had no idea of how to care for someone who was sick or in pain. Her idea of being sick was to take a large dose of codeine and sleep for a week until the symptoms cured themselves.

As she gazed down at the sleeping teenager and noted his peaceful expression, she was reminded about the plans she had already put into motion. What if Lucas was in no condition to attend the _"Gruff and Griff"_ tonight? And even if he was, could she really guarantee that his friends and family would be there to help him?

She went to make a dose of the medication that Steve had left behind, making sure that the measurement was correct. There was one for pain-relief, which she suspected Lucas would need again in a few hours upon waking properly and another to help with sleep if he had trouble.

For now, she only mixed the pain-relief and brought the murky, clouded water over to the bed and prepared to get her patient to co-operate.

"Lucas?" she whispered, feeling guilty that she had to wake him when he wasn't showing any outward signs of pain. She knew that if she didn't though, then he was likely to be awaken later on in pain, and that was to be avoided. Any agitation on his part, even accidental, might cause the stitches to stretch or pull, causing more pain and discomfort.

Again she whispered his name and this time, also lightly tapped his arm. "Lucas?"

"Umph, arhh," he said and hissed at the slight movement that sent a red hot fire up his arm and across his back. If he had been asleep before, then now he was more alert. He tried to open his eyes again, and succeeded, but the image was distorted and comprehension of who he was looking at eluded him for a few moments.

Diana's features soften even further at the soft winces of pain that escaped his pale lips. "Here, Lucas, drink this and it will help take the pain away."

Lucas hadn't really heard anything she said to him, but upon feeling the rim of the glass against his lips, obeyed and opened his mouth to accept the small amount of liquid offered. When the taste reached his brain, he grimaced and his features turned into a scowl, protesting as much as he could at such an awful concoction being forced upon him.

Diana removed the glass and the cool cloth, immediately feeling his forehead to see if it had resulted in a decrease in temperature. To her relief it had. Lucas's eyes had closed again and he was drifting back to sleep.

He didn't she her grateful smile that he was improving nor did he feel the blanket brought up around his shoulders again and the feather soft touch of fingertips against his cheek.

Diana moved across to the sink to put the glass back and rinse out the residual contents. As she watched the water flow from the tap and the drain, her thoughts drifted to what she intended to do tonight. It was going to be more difficult than she first anticipated, giving that Lucas was going to be might stiff and sore. She had made another rash decision without thinking ahead, but this time, someone else might pay the price for her impetuousness.

Diana turned to think some more when she spotted the small suitcase she had brought in from her car. It was a battered old thing and had served many years of service for her to carry out her job as a journalist. In her head, she started going through the various pieces she knew to be in there.

Then an idea struck her.

She hurried over and held up one item for inspection. She held it out and surveyed its potential usefulness in aiding Lucas and masking his identity. With a slight giggle and careful so as not to wake the sleeping teenager, she lay it against him to see if it would suit her purpose.

Once she had decided it would, she frowned as she tried to think of a way around the battle she was going to have to fight to get Lucas's full co-operation.

"You are going to hate me for this Lucas, but I assure you I have your best interests at heart. I wouldn't ask you to do this unless I truly thought it would work," she said, knowing that Lucas was oblivious to her mutterings.

"Dalton is looking for Lucas Wolenczak," she thought to herself. But what if Lucas was a Lucy instead?"

The plan was so brilliant it had to work. All she had to do was convince Lucas to dress like a young lady for a couple of days until the SeaQuest crew could come and help him. It wasn't going to be that hard. He would just have to wear a wig, women's clothes and shoes for a couple of days. No problem.

Diana's gaze once again came to rest upon her young charge who was trying to move onto his side. He had moaned in pain, but the grogginess from the pain medication had numbed the pain's full assault. His back was now to her and she was able to see the numerous marks that Steve had stitched.

She walked over and made sure that the teenager was sufficiently covered yet again, she couldn't help but picture the look on his face or the outburst that would follow at her suggestion that he disguise himself as a teenager girl for a couple of days.

The battle was yet to start, but she would need to be ready for his refusal and outright horror at such an idea.

Lucas was about to become Lucy………………………

to be continued………..

JULES


End file.
